Fluffy Robot Seals Comfort Dementia Patients
Who doesn’t feel all warm and fuzzy whenever they see an image of a cute, white fluffy seal pup? Now these animals are proving to help comfort Dementia patients in nursing homes. Well, not real seal pups but robotic imitations!
Researchers in Japan and Australia conducted a pilot study to see if robotic animals could offer similar benefits to therapy animals, and their results have landed them a $1 million grant to further the trial.
Therapy animals such as Dementia dogs have been proven to reduce stress and agitation in residential environments, but have obvious cost and care requirements. This study will be conducted with 380 Dementia patients in residential care to see if robotic animals could offer similar benefits without the down side to living animals.
The Dementia Therapy Robot
The robotic seal being used in the Australian study has been created by a Japanese company, PARO, who sell the device to medical institutions around the world. It is modeled after a baby harp seal and is covered in a realistic soft fur, however don’t let the basic appearance fool you; the robotic animal includes state-of-the-art animatronics and has a repertoire of intuitive movements that let him respond to stimuli such as light and touch.
Why a Seal?
The team at PARO found that people saw robotic pets such as cats and dogs as too artificial and did not interact with them as much as they did the seals.
This many be because most people are not used to seeing seal pups as frequently as other domestic animals, as well as their exposure being limited to images in which the seal pups look like fluffy toys anyway.
Can a Robot Seal Really Give Comfort to Dementia Patients?
Chris Byrne was one of the carers at Fairview Retirement Village where the pilot study was conducted in 2012, and said “I’ve seen people laughing, someone was trying to give it a drink before, talking to it and snuggling up with it, all sorts, it’s been very good.”
I wonder if these seals will appear in the UK in the future? Until then, let us recommend our Comforter – designed with the same principals in mind but minus the $6,000 price tag of a seal pup!