Research confirms that the seal-type robot Paro has significant effects on people with dementia

Among them, 97% of isolated patients have increased social behavior in interaction with Paro; 79% of sleeping patients can stay awake for a long time with the help of Paro, have increased appetite, improve their mood, and show some social reaction. These effects are very prominent, the inventor Dr. Shibata said: "For example, some people have aggressive behavior because of dementia. PARO can improve their emotions and calm them down, they will not have aggressive behavior.

According to the report, PARO has five sensors to control its action, body temperature and vocalization. It also has artificial intelligence that can change mood.

Dr. Takanori Shibata of Japan is a researcher at PARO. Shibata said that this robot helps the care of dementia patients. Through physical contact, you can awaken the memory of dementia patients who raise their children and raise pets. It has long been shown that animal therapy has a certain effect on dementia. However, when using live animals for treatment, it may bite the patient, cause the patient to be infected with infectious diseases, etc., and the burden of handling the animals is large, and the training before the treatment and the daily breeding also cost a certain amount. Thus, there are not many examples of practicing animal therapy. It is for this reason that the use of simpler robots to replace animals has received attention.

PARO has been certified as a medical device by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration). There are also many examples in other countries. In Germany, the use of PARO's home care is included in health insurance. In Denmark, 80% of local governments have introduced PARO due to the adoption of national projects.