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'Paro' is a therapeutic robot baby harp seal, intended to have a calming effect on and elicit emotional responses in patients of hospitals and nursing homes, similar to Animal-Assisted Therapy, but without its negative aspects.
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, and handmade versions have been sold commercially since 2004.
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.

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★ Meet Paro, the therapeutic robot seal, CNN.com, 20 November 2003