http://www.thedigitaldynamoGoesToCES.com Paro is a therapeutic robot baby harp seal, intended to be very cute and to have a calming effect on and elicit emotional responses in patients of hospitals and nursing homes, similar to Animal-Assisted Therapy.
It was designed by Takanori Shibata of the Intelligent System Research Institute of Japan's AIST beginning in 1993. It was first exhibited to the public in late 2001, became a Best of COMDEX finalist in 2003,[1] and handmade versions have been sold commercially since 2004. Paro is based on harp seals Shibata saw in Canada, where he also recorded their cries that Paro uses.[2]
The robot has tactile sensors and responds to petting by moving its tail and opening and closing its eyes. It also responds to sounds and can learn a name. It can show emotions such as surprise, happiness and anger. It produces sounds similar to a real baby seal and (unlike a real baby seal) is active during the day and goes to sleep at night.The International Consumer Electronics Show has over 140000 attendees each year and over 2700 companies that participate. This year January 2012 Deenice, the Digital Dynamo created a Vlog of the event. She also shares her experience of obtaining a cheap airfare to Las Vegas for this event check out http://www.DeeNiceGoesToLasVegas.com animal therapy robotics
