Paro (robot)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paro

Paro is a 60 cm long personal robot ( medical commitment robot ) that is used for therapeutic purposes. Paro is a doll modeled after a harp seal boy . It is said to have a calming influence on patients. The idea is based on experience in animal-assisted therapy .

The robot has tactile sensors under its fluffy light fur and can use them to perceive when a person is stroking it. Paro reacts to this with the movement of the tail as well as the head and the eyes. The robot also reacts to noises and can learn names. Paro itself makes noises that resemble those of real harp seal pups. Unlike this, Paro is programmed so that it is only active during the day, not at night.

Paro was developed in Japan by Takanori Shibata at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) since 1993. The robot was presented to the public in 2001. It has been sold since 2004. In Germany, too, Paro is used in more than 40 care facilities as a therapeutic agent in the care of people with dementia. The aim is to make the patients more talkative and relaxed. The robot should trigger key stimuli . It should support, not replace, care.

Paro was shown in the exhibition “All Generations in One Boat” as part of the 2013 Science Year “The Demographic Opportunity” on the MS Wissenschaft . Furthermore, specimens can be viewed in the Technikmuseum Linz (ARS Electronica, 04/2015), the Deutsches Museum Munich and the Technisches Museum Wien .

literature

Web links

Commons : Paro (robot)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Christoph Jehle: The nursing seal Paro - an immoral offer? In: Telepolis. December 28, 2014, accessed on November 24, 2016 : "" The therapeutic nursing seals are not used as a substitute for nurses, but as an instrument in nursing to lighten the often depressed mood of the patient or to gain access to the patient at all: With the help of Built-in sensors under the white or brownish fur, Paro can register brightness and noises as well as touches and react appropriately. If the seal is spoken to, it responds with movements and sounds. She reacts to crawling with a pleasant hum - to blows with protest. ""
  2. a b strokes for the brain (PDF; 560 kB). In: MS Wissenschaft 2013: All generations in one boat. List of exhibits and exhibition texts. P. 15. Retrieved August 8, 2013. Offline November 24, 2016.
  3. ^ Paro in the online catalog of TM Vienna