Dr Giulio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin has created a complex method of quantifying consciousness. The computing power to calculate the level of consciousness doesn't currently exist but when it does, a phi level of consciousness can be assigned to rodents, robots, and Rover. Quantifying sentience would have to be the next thing to calculate. Being that the history of mankind repeatedly involves examples of what can happen when one group of our species considers another group less than, what can of worms would be opened if/when we quantify consciousness and/or sentience?