Socially assistive robotics is a growing area for geriatric research. This single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to investigate the use of PARO, a therapeutic, socially assistive pet robot, in improving mood, and stimulating social interaction and communication for people with dementia in the community. For the study, 40 community-dwelling older Chinese adults (≥60 years) with mild to moderate dementia will be recruited and randomly assigned to the PARO therapy group or the psychosocial activities control group. Both treatments consist of six, 30-minute weekly sessions, which will be conducted in a geriatric day hospital. Subjects in both groups will be assessed by a trained research assistant at baseline (pre-), during, and post-treatment. Mood (assessed with a simplified face scale), social interaction, and communication (ie, facial expressions and reactions towards each treatment, assessed with an observation table) will be the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures will include assessments on cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination) and depressive symptoms (Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia), as well as caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Inventory). Subjective impression towards each treatment and qualitative comments from the caregivers, facilitator, and therapists will also be obtained. Recruitment to the pilot study began in 2014 and the last subject is expected to complete their post-treatment assessment in 2015. This will be the first RCT using PARO to improve mood, and stimulate social interaction and communication in the care of older people with dementia, as well as provide an evidence basis for the use of PARO in dementia care in Hong Kong. The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000037606; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12614000037606 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6Xi7uXdu9).

Therapeutic robot PARO Seal robot PARO is a neurological therapeutic robot for non-pharmacological therapy and, such as animal therapy, has no negative side effects. It has therapeutic effects on those from children to the elderly, particularly those with some cognitive impairment. PARO is used for two reasons. One is for activities to enable users to enjoy using PARO. The other is for medical therapy for specific patients with goals. In this paper, we detail the results of clinical experiments done on those mostly diagnosed with dementia. Experiments were conducted with PARO used for both cognitive and physical rehabilitation, in which PARO was used in activities and in therapy. Both types of cases showed positive effects in therapy and a reduction in the use of antipsychotic medications.

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across the globe, and it could take years for society to fully recover. Personal protective equipment (PPE), various hygiene measures, and social distancing have been implemented to reduce “human to human” contact, which is an essential part of outbreak prevention. The pressure of the pandemic combined with decreased communication and social contact have taken a toll on the mental health of many individuals, especially with respect to anxiety and depression. Effective use of robots and technology as a substitute for—or in coordination with—traditional medicine could play a valuable role in reducing psychological distress now more than ever. This paper summarizes the results of a comprehensive review of clinical research on PARO, a therapeutic seal robot, which has been used extensively as a biofeedback medical device and socially assistive robot in the field of mental health. PARO has proven to be an effective and economical non-pharmacological intervention method for both mental and physical well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilization of PARO during these times has provided more data for consideration and has helped in mitigating the negative stigma surrounding using robots in therapeutic settings.

INTRODUCTION: PARO, a baby seal robot, has shown promise in addressing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in clinical settings. However, little is known about PARO's benefits when used independently of health professionals. This study examined that scenario in older adults with dementia. METHODS: Applying a cluster‐randomized design, we randomly assigned six facilities to once‐ or thrice‐weekly self‐directed PARO sessions for a month. BPSD severity and caregiver burden scores of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Brief Questionnaire were measured. RESULTS: Findings from 85 participants indicated a significant reduction in caregiver burden in the thrice‐weekly group (least‐squares [LS] mean: −3.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [−6.26, −0.32], p = 0.030). For BPSD severity, while clinically meaningful improvement was observed, no significant difference was found (adjusted LS mean: −1.98, 95% CI: [−4.10, 0.15], p = 0.068) due to insufficient statistical power. DISCUSSION: Increasing robot use frequency reduced the caregiver burden and demonstrated a clinically significant improvement trend in the BPSD severity.

A survey on recognition of seal robot PARO was conducted in Japan. PARO is a nursing and medical robot imitating a baby seal intended for robot therapy and was released in 2005 in Japan. However, compared with other countries, the spread of the PARO is not advanced yet. We distributed questionnaires on PARO’s recognition rate at lectures and seminars. As a result, PARO was well-known by women, and as the age rose, the recognition rate tended to rise. Based on this result, we would like to consider actions to be taken for the spread of PARO for aging society.