PARO as a Biofeedback Medical Device for Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across the globe, and it could take years for society to fully recover. Personal protective equipment (PPE), various hygiene measures, and social distancing have been implemented to reduce “human to human” contact, which is an essential part of outbreak prevention. The pressure of the pandemic combined with decreased communication and social contact have taken a toll on the mental health of many individuals, especially with respect to anxiety and depression. Effective use of robots and technology as a substitute for—or in coordination with—traditional medicine could play a valuable role in reducing psychological distress now more than ever. This paper summarizes the results of a comprehensive review of clinical research on PARO, a therapeutic seal robot, which has been used extensively as a biofeedback medical device and socially assistive robot in the field of mental health. PARO has proven to be an effective and economical non-pharmacological intervention method for both mental and physical well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilization of PARO during these times has provided more data for consideration and has helped in mitigating the negative stigma surrounding using robots in therapeutic settings.

The Impact of Engagement with the PARO Therapeutic Robot on the Psychological Benefits of Older Adults with Dementia

“…This study showed that the PARO intervention could effectively reduce the symptoms of depression in depressed older adults with dementia. Our findings corroborate the ideas of Hung et al (2021), who suggested that PARO could be a resource to help support the psychosocial needs of people with dementia in care settings to optimize person-centred care, involving inclusion, identity, attachment, occupation and comfort (Kitwood, 1997). Older adults might alleviate their level of depression by chatting to and stroking PARO to comfort their mood during the interaction.…”

Consumers' responses to personalized service from medical artificial intelligence and human doctors

“…The growing research interest in anthropomorphism has facilitated marketing studies on how anthropomorphism shapes consumers' judgment and choice, and extensive work explores how anthropomorphizing products affect consumers' responses (Table 1). However, little research examines anthropomorphism in the medical context to define the effect of medical AI's level of anthropomorphism on patients (Bickmore et al, 2010; Shen et al, 2023; Shibata et al, 2021). The rapid development of AI necessitates comparing the effects of highly anthropomorphic medical AI robots with those of human doctors on patients' choices in the medical context.…”

The ethics of pet robots in dementia care settings: Care professionals’ and organisational leaders’ ethical intuitions

“…Current evidence suggests that pet robots can elicit positive impacts on several psychosocial dimensions of people with dementia in long-term care settings, such as reduced agitation, improved mood and social interactions ( 12 – 14 ). Correspondingly in practice, pet robots continue to be implemented in care settings to support the social health of people with dementia ( 15 ). However, adopting pet robots for dementia care remains a contentious topic, as their ethical underpinnings are still heavily debated ( 16 ).…”