It describes "Paro," a robotic stuffed animal (in the form of a baby seal) that responds to touch (and sound?) cues. It is made for the purpose of serving as a low-maintenance pet surrogate for the elderly.
Here's a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx8mv87e6wE
Here's an article about robotic intervention at the other end of the lifecycle, also coming out of Japan:
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704463504575301051844937276.html
It describes "Paro," a robotic stuffed animal (in the form of a baby seal) that responds to touch (and sound?) cues. It is made for the purpose of serving as a low-maintenance pet surrogate for the elderly.
Here's a video of it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx8mv87e6wE