Paro
Date: 21.10.13 Time: 12:00 Location: Greenwich Woods Nursing Home The summer before my sophomore year, I spent some time volunteering at Greenwich Woods, a nursing home. This was a great experience and I very much enjoyed my time there, however you might be wondering how this experience would make its way into a Science blog. This nursing home is special. It uses a revolutionary robotic treatment device, a baby harp seal named Paro, in the treatment of Alzheimer's patients. Developed by Takanori Shibata from Japan, Paro is designed to simulate a real baby seal, with heated synthetic fur and sensors that react to touch and sound, causing the robot to move and make sounds. The lifelike movements of the seal calm the patients while also engaging them. Paro When I first volunteered at the nursing home, I worked for two weeks on the entertainment committee. We played lots of games and I connected with many of the residents. This Parents W...