Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it, keeps an older person company and helps them remember to take their medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a $3-million-dollar award from the National Science Foundation for a special project. The goal of the project is to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or A.I., to Hasbro’s “Joy for All” robotic cat. The cat has already been for sale for two years. It is aimed at older people and meant to act as a “companion” for them. It makes the same noises as a real cat and even appears to seek attention from its owners.