There is just an element of distrust for beggars these days, that most of us practice a stone cold face while walking past a beggar whose hands are stretched out, asking for some sort of alms – any loose change that you have on you. Well, the task is made all the harder if you happen to have a kid cross your path, but rest assured that begging has even been brought forward to the 21st century by replacing them with robots. We’re talking about the DONA robot which will interactively solicit donations from passers-by by engaging them in a pet-like interaction, making it harder to resist, never mind that there aren’t any soft fur covering it or puppy eyes to melt your hard – just plain ol’ psychological warfare. All I can say is this – if an organization is reach enough to employ robotic beggars to solicit donations from the public, then that organization surely doesn’t need much money in the first place since robots aren’t cheap.