Domestic O-series Guidebot Gives Customer New Leash on Life
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Photo: Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan
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Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan • 19 Mar 2026
Naarm-based customer Melanie Wing Lam Chan has always had an intimate relationship with solitude. “Being a lone wolf meant independence, I never saw it as an issue…until it was.”
In the mid 2000s, Wing Lam left her family’s Tsuen Wan flat in bustling Hong Kong to study Engineering at RMIT. She lived with her late Aunt in Bulleke-bek, Brunswick; the same Edwardian bungalow she’d raise her daughter in as a single mother. “Since after Yi Ling was born, I realised I wasn’t okay…in fact, come to think of it, I don’t think I’d ever coped well on my own, not really.”
Wing Lam offhandedly shared her depression battle with a CSO, who suggested she join the Domestic O-series Guidebot trial. Wing Lam was far from convinced. “The bot thing didn’t put me off at all, quite the opposite! I studied robotics and mechatronics for Chrissake!” Wing Lam laughs. “It was more the shame around asking for help. It’s funny how we hold ourselves to different standards when it comes to admitting we’re struggling.”
Since completing the DOG trial in 2028 and signing up for a permanent in-home Guidebot, Wing Lam hasn’t looked back. “I’ve always been curious about human-robot relationships, but DOG exceeded my expectations. It’s fantastic with Yi Ling as a babysitter and mentor, and of course with me…not only as a sounding board, but as a genuine friend.”
“I’ve always been curious about human-robot relationships, but DOG exceeded my expectations. It’s fantastic with Yi Ling as a babysitter and mentor, and of course with me…not only as a sounding board, but as a genuine friend.”
Critics have expressed concern over DOG’s potential limitations as a government-run service, worried about customer privacy and increasing AI dependency. Whilst recognising DOGs may not be for everyone, Wing Lam maintains Guidebots themselves should not be blamed. “Who hasn’t been skeptical of therapy bots, and rightly so… the early-to-mid 20s was rife with AI innovation outpacing legal and ethical frameworks by miles,” she says. “And it’s important to stay critical and be in constant conversation about the impacts of our cybernetic relationships. But given the enormous psychosocial benefits I’ve gotten from DOG in under a year, all I can say is, don’t knock a DOG till you try it.”
Find out more about Domestic O-Series Guidebots, or signup for your own ‘good bot’ here.
If you or someone you know feels overwhelmed, distressed, or is having difficulty coping, the DOG Lite chatbot is available below for 24/7 confidential, non-judgmental support *fees and conditions apply
About
Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan
Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan is a Luritja PhD student, software developer, board member, creative technologist, playwright and poet. Two of Matt’s most beloved creations and collaborations are Indigemoji, a sticker set of 90 emojis representing life, culture and language of Arrernte Country in Central Australia and The Robot Dog, a Melbourne Theatre Company Production about identity and technology in the future written in collaboration with Roshelle Fong. Matt’s academic journey started with a Bachelor of Information Technology, then a Master of Applied Cybernetics, and he is currently pursuing a PhD in Cybernetics exploring stories of our future and how Indigenous axiology, ontology and epistemology can inform the development of technological designs and prototypes across speculative and futurist thought.
His positionality includes an ethos of free and open-source software, and a commitment to preserving Indigenous knowledge systems and understanding the narratives that shape this cultural identity. This positionality is deeply intertwined with Matthew’s personal experiences and cultural heritage, growing up between a remote Indigenous community called Papunya, Alice Springs and Darwin.
Roshelle Yee Pui Fong
Roshelle Yee Pui Fong loves writing as healing and intercultural solidarity. Her award-winning show NOMNOMNOM (2018) was adapted in East Iceland, Shanghai and Sydney, and her online show THIRSTY! (2020) was programmed at Griffin Theatre and Google Creative Lab. Roshelle’s play THE RED LEAD won Bruntwood Playwriting Prize's International Award (2022), and was developed at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre and Banff Playwrights Lab in Canada.
THE ROBOT DOG, which she co-wrote with Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan, premiered at Melbourne Theatre Company for Asiatopa Festival 2025. Roshelle is a New Writers Collective mentor (Arts Centre Melbourne) and in Contemporary Asian Australian Performance’s Artist Reference Group.
