PARO Therapeutic Robot

PARO

PARO is a therapeutic robotic baby harp seal intended to comfort people with emotional stress. This robot is most frequently used in nursing homes to comfort patients with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease and with children with autism. It is developed by AIST, a Japanese automation pioneer and has been used in Japan and throughout Europe since 2003. PARO contains sensors that allow for the robot to sense whether it is in a dark or light environment, and it can feel and reacts when it is being stroked, or beaten. In addition to these tactile and light sensors, the robot also contains an audio sensor to allow it to react to its name, praise, or hate that it receives from its owner. These sensors allow for the robot to act as though it is a real animal. This all sounds great in theory, but there has not been research done on how these robots actually affect the owners.

Nursing Homes

There are many problematic symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. The PARO robots have been shown to reduce some of the problematic symptoms, such as agitation and wandering. However, having a robot instead of a human or therapeutic dog, for instance, has many downsides, as well. Many nursing homes try and focus on the relationship between the caregiver and the patient. This relationship can truly make a patient feel much more comfortable and overall happier. Having a robot comforting the patient instead of a human may decrease the positive relationship between the caregiver and the patient.

Human Interaction

When humans interact, our hormones also interact. Having a robot trying to bring out positive emotions in patients with Alzheimer's Disease can be much more difficult. For example, when humans interact, a hormone called oxytocin is released that frequently increases the trust between the two. It can take more time for the patient to bond to the robot than it takes for a patient to bond to their human caregiver. Having a robot be the main source of comfort to an Alzheimer's patient can also cause social isolation. In nursing homes, one of the main goals of the caretakers is to get the patients to interact with one another in order to form bonds and feel safe in their space. Giving these patients a robot instead of making them to exercises or play games with each other can be extremely bad for their mental health.