Last night, Dr. Shibata the inventor of the “Most Therapeutic Robot” (Guinness World Record Book) gave a talk on “Disaster Recovery in Japan: Project PARO”.
Paro is a robot seal that is used in around the world for therapy in nursing homes and hospitals.
I will admit, when I got a chance to interact with this robot, I was amazed how quickly I was drawn in to interact with it. Even during Dr. Shibata’s talk, PARO was left on and was stealing the show when it called out. Even Dr. Shibata could not help, but to look over at PARO when PADO called. I can diffidently see why it has been on the TV so many times, in the papers and such. I was not alone. I saw one woman pick it up for pictures and she would not give it up! The videos shown during the talk (and on the website http://parorobots.com/) show the therapeutic power of PADO, so diffidently look at those (here).
If you recall, this talk was originally scheduled back in may but was canceled due to weather. But I am glad he came back.
Currently Dr Shibata and PADO are working with the Earthquake and Tsunami Relief efforts in Japan. The the Japan-America Society of Tennessee (JAST) has established the “Tennessee Tomodachi Fund” for Earthquake and Tsunami Relief. Part of that effort is raise money to get PADOs to more shelters and relief centers in Japan. For more info on this effort contact:
Japan-America Society of Tennessee
(615) 663-6060 or jastninfo@jastn.com