The object
Takanori Shibata invented PARO, a robotic baby seal with tactile sensors, motors and responsive behavior for therapeutic interaction. The manufactured robot provided a repeatable alternative to animal-assisted therapy and brought social-robot hardware into hospitals, care facilities and research on dementia support.
01
What Takanori did
Invented PARO, a sensor-equipped therapeutic robot designed to interact with patients in care settings.
02
Why it matters
AIST reports that roughly 4,000 PARO robots work in more than 30 countries and that the device received U.S. neurological-therapeutic medical-device approval.
03
Living-status check
Shibata’s AIST profile lists his current senior-researcher appointment and 2023 international keynote activity, reviewed July 2026.