PARO is a seal shaped robotic comforter. Its name is derived from the first syllables of the words ‘personal robot’ and was designed and engineered by Dr Takanori Shibata, Chief Research Scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan in 2003. Development began in 1993 following Shibata’s research interest in therapeutic robots for improved brain function.

PARO is designed to sit comfortably on a user’s lap similarly to a small pet. Shibata’s choice to choose a one-week old baby harp seal as the design form was due to the fact that it was familiar but less likely to have negative associations to other animals like cat or dog. It has an internal 32bit microprocessor computer which enables PARO to respond to touch, light, sound, motion and temperature, reacting to people in its environment through an array of sensors. It can remember the name it is assigned after a period of ‘learning’, and emits comforting sounds including a soft purr.

PARO is a class of robotics design defined as a ‘social robot’, created to function alongside humans (as opposed to industrial robotics) as a form of companionship or service in the home or workplace. PARO was the first cognitive therapy robot approved as a Class II neurological therapeutic device in bio-feedback medical device by the Food and Drug Administration in the US in 2009. Since its release, PARO has been positioned as a companion for the elderly, and for those in nursing homes and hospitals, particularly for those with dementia and Alzheimers, and those experiencing anxiety, PTSD and depression.

PARO complements other objects within the V&A collection that explore design, technology and personal healthcare, including the Liftware spoon set (CD.81:1 to 8-2016), and the rise of assistive robotics and devices in our domestic environments such as the Nest Thermostat (CD.36:1 to 10-2014), Nabaztag (CD.3-2022) and Amazon Echo (CD.11:1 to 8-2020).