PARO aims to be a substitute for pets in general households and a substitute for animal therapy in the medical and welfare fields. PARO is a "welfare device" in Japan, and a "biofeedback medical device" in the US. PARO has been recognized as the world's Most Therapeutic Robot, according to the Guinness World Records in 2002. In this presentation Prof Shibata will describe the evidence and explain how PARO is being incorporated into medical and welfare systems around the world.
Dr Takanori Shibata is a senior research scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan and the inventor of PARO. A pioneer in human-robot interaction, he was awarded the prestigious Ryman Prize in 2018. He holds a PhD from Nagoya University and was formerly a research scientist at the MIT AI Lab. Ms Jing Yun Yang is a manager for PARO Robots and directs sales, marketing and business operations. She has a Master's in business analytics from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and more than 6 years of professional experience.
Free and open to the public. Donations are welcome!
To live stream this program, visit our website. A recording will also be available from the website one week later.
https://ncca.memberclicks.net
Monday Nov 17, 2025
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM CST
Nineteenth Century Charitable Association
178 Forest Avenue
Oak Park
IL
Free and open to the public. Donations are welcome!
Becky Grajeda
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