Healing seal wriggles into film
In more than one earlier post, I've alluded to robot therapy, the art of using robots to improve the quality of people's lives. The idea that interactive, situated and seemingly sentient machines can play useful roles in helping people is embraced in Japan. Paro, probably the most meltingly cute machine ever made, is a robot baby harp seal specifically designed to give users a warm fuzzy feeling. It wriggles and coos in response to petting, hugging and certain words, and has been proven effective in reducing patient stress at old folks' homes in Japan and overseas including the U.S. -- over 600 units have been sold domestically to individuals and welfare facilities. Paro also earned the title of "the world's most soothing robot" from Guinness World Records.
Danish director Phie Ambo is now working on a documentary film about how Paro has touched the lives of elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease and other disorders. Titled "Mechanical Love," it is to show the cuddly bot working its magic with seniors in Italy and elsewhere. Footage of the manufacture and use of Paro, developed by Takanori Shibata of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, is to be shot in Japan this summer. If you can't wait for the film, you'll have to shell out at least 350,000 yen to get your paws on the star stuffed animal.
Danish director Phie Ambo is now working on a documentary film about how Paro has touched the lives of elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease and other disorders. Titled "Mechanical Love," it is to show the cuddly bot working its magic with seniors in Italy and elsewhere. Footage of the manufacture and use of Paro, developed by Takanori Shibata of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, is to be shot in Japan this summer. If you can't wait for the film, you'll have to shell out at least 350,000 yen to get your paws on the star stuffed animal.
posted by Tim at 10:41 AM
3 Comments:
I have to say, Paro does look awfully soothing.
You probably already know about this, but this would be somewhat related: http://www.siggraph.org/s2006/main.php?f=conference&p=etech&s=huggable.
Thanks for the link. The Huggable is one of the most interesting thigns to come out of MIT's Media Lab in a while.
I wonder if some users might find a moving, responsive teddy bear disconcerting, though (it brings to mind Teddy from the film "AI"). The jarring aspect of seeing a familiar object suddendly appearing animate or in robot form is an important consideration in robot design. The main reason Shibata chose a seal form for Paro is that most people have no firsthand experience with seals, and cannot easily spot differences with the real thing.
Ah, valid point about the teddy bear, there.
Perhaps Paro will be a good introduction to people, to get them used to the idea of domestic Synthetiks..
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