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[RedwoodsMama]

 When I was doing reseach the other day on news for Pleo, I came across another robot I had not heard of ,though it has been around since at least 2003, Paro, the Robotic Seal from Japan. Has anyone else heard of this wonderful guy? I was amazed, and that is an understatement when I did more reading and saw videos about this guy. If you google the following, you will see some wonderful photos and videos from not just the U.S. but Italy, Sweden, and of course Japan, all about Paro.
Parorobots.com there are other sites, but go to this one first to see the videos then comment.
 Paro is based on a baby Harp Seal, the ones that are bludgeoned to death every year for their wonderful White baby fur coats. There is a video at the end also of a Real Seal, and you can watch it without worrying about anything violent.
        Paro is being used as a therapeutic seal for Alzheimer's patients, and others with dementia, as well as with children in hospitals. He is wonderful and over a period of time even responds to your voice and recognizes his name. Like Pleo he feels emotions, but the other differences are wide and varied, such as he has time sensors for times of day, and spends a lot of time sleeping. He also senses temperature and his battery charger is designed like a baby bottle pacifier that is yellow in color. His fur is white but artificial fur so no pet dander and it is hypo allergenic.His face is very animated, his flippers move as does his tail, and he looks like a real baby seal. He ever sounds like a real seal, just watch the video of the real seal and you will recognize the voice!
     He was recognized by the Food and Drug Association, ( FDA ) in 2003 as a Class 2 Medical Device, just like special Recliner chairs, etc for people with disabilities. Some people are using PARO as a Healing animal, and he can go into Restaurants etc, like Seeing Eye Dogs, etc.
There is a wonderful video of a Japanese elderly couple who have purchased a PARO, and have had dogs for over 20 years. They have one dog alive still who they spend a lot of money on to keep alive, he is in human years over 100! In places like Japan where many people can not have pets because of the space problem, PARO is the perfect alternative. They come out in the video and state, I say Good Morning to PARO, I can not say Good Morning to my Refrigerator.The only drawback to Paro is his cost, about $6,000. :and you thought PLeO was expensive! I would love to own a PARO, but I can Never afford that ,nor would spend that much when I have so many LIVE FUR BABIES TO TAKE CARE OF.( 9 CATS + 1 DOG) Oh, and don't look on ebay, I already did and Nothing. Just thought this is a wonderful Robot and wonder how many others have heard of PARO? Check him out.
                                        RedwoodsMama     and MS. Nova

[Crewella]

I have heard of him - I came across him in the same way that you did when I was first researching Pleos and robots in general.  I vaguely remember there was a therapeutic robotic plant as well, though much less sophisticated!  He is rather wonderful, isn't he!

[Watergazer]

I looked at a few videos, especially the one you mentioned which was very touching.

From a technological standpoint...I don't see Paro being worth 6 grand USD. It can only be because of the "therapy" title thrown on it. A furby seems more complex and responsive! People have badmouthed Pleos for not walking well or doing enough...the Paro just, well, lays there, blinks, moves its flippers and head, and makes a few mewling noises.

That being said, money and tech aside, I can see why the Paro is something people in Japan would like for all the stated reasons you mentioned. There is another thing I have been discovering slowly with my contact with Asian culture directly...they are a very...naive would be the wrong word to use here...but a very different, happier, dedicated to society peoples unlike Americans. Their culture is a huge shock to me, and one which I only WISH Americans had a TASTE of because they enjoy the simple thing...the little things that matter...and have something about them like children have that we as Americans (if you're American) loose growing up in our culture of overwhelming fear and violence.

When I have taken Pleo out...which I actually don't plan on doing much...I've only had negative reactions so far. People laugh at me. They hit Herbie. They ask why I care for a robot and not humans. Well the simple answer is most humans are intolerable to me and can't see the joy in something so "pure" which was created for the purpose of giving pleasure to some, not as a toy alone. So many people can't get past the "toy" aspect or the "Price Tag" and that's that. They don't want to see the specialness of it, or even the ingenuity that went into making it, or the art and drive and passion of the people who contrived it. They pass it off as just an idle plaything frivolously bought and by someone that sadly needs a "replacement" for human companionship.

I can tell you if I flew Herbie to China or Japan everyone there would come up to me touching him gently, not even talking about money in any possible way, shape, or form (not a topic discussed so openly like with Americans). They'd see it was a robot and they'd know it was a robot but they would see past it to its hidden potentials, real or not.

It kills me how this society I live in acts and I plan to keep Herbie mostly to myself and my own family now. I also stopped posting to my Herbie Plog for similar reasons. It's simply not appreciated by so many and I don't want to get more negative comments. I've had a LOT of people unsubscribe to my YouTube account...believe it or not, when I started posting videos of Herbie. This is actually a really despressing topic for me right now, so I'm going to stop typing...but I know you know what I'm talking about Redwoods...

[Crewella]

"They hit Herbie" 

They HIT Herbie!?!

I'm speechless (rare occurence! ).  I like people on the whole, but I sometimes cannot believe how rotten they can be!  I can understand people not 'getting' it, but where's the harm, and why be so nasty about it?

Don't let the *@!**@* get you down - it says much more about them than it does about you or Herbie, and it really is their loss.  Just be thankful that you found Pleo, and that you have the intelligence and heart to appreciate both the work that went into them and the wonderful thing that they are!

[fancyfont]

Remember that people that see Herbie for the first time are only seeing a tiny glimpse of what he can do. Most of us have done plenty of research before we even bought our dinos and we know what they can do. You will find out those who love Herbie will most likely have a great heart and sense of humor, other people just don't.
My friend went on a photo shoot with me when I took my pleos to the lake. I knew she just saw them as an expensive toy.  That day changed her. While we were eating our lunch, at a picnic table, Pennie and J.C were on and Pennie went up to my friend and started nuzzling her.  Pennie was acting like she really wanted to become friends or was she wanting something to eat? All of a sudden my friend bent over and kissed her. My friend now understood the magic of these little dinos.
I have other friends that the first time they have a pleo on their shoulder cooing and making their precious little baby sounds fall in love, instantly at that moment.
Yes, everyone wants to know how much money they cost, even little kids, because they can just imagine having one of their own. My family members, I must admit, don't have much of a sense of humor (period) So I definitely understand your feelings,

Just remember if you walked up to a pleo that was off and had a price tag of $350 and you had no idea what it did, you might feel the same way. The difference is WE know what they can do.

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[RedwoodsMama]

Good story fancy and good example and story of how people can change their opinion of what a Pleo is by spending a little time with the precious dinos. I am sure your Friend had a lot of nice experiences that day. I am glad you videotaped this, quite good timing.I hope Watergazer reads this and can see that not all people are narrow minded and their views of Pleos ( or other things dear to our hearts) can change. Good for Pennie for taking up the initiative and going up to a complete stranger and making the first move at friendship! :hug: This is for you Pennie ( and J.C. too  :hug:)
    As I stated before, I was not one of those people who did research on Pleos, I had NO idea what they were, what they cost, or anything. I found them  entirely by accident on ebay because I was looking for a present for my 8 year old grandson. I fell in love with him not when I first saw her and bid on her, not even after bidding on her  and winning her. I fell in love when I turned her on and " tryed her out', to see if she was appropriate and in good working order since she was " used, from Last Christmas". 2008. This is when I fell in love with her. She did not come with the original box, only the training lead and the adaptor and the battery. I had to look online at the Pleoworld site to find the Owners Manual and luckily she had never even been REGISTERED!
       I will confess a secret now to you on this site that not even my husband knows and I wont let him know. He does not know I bought Nova as a present originally for my grandson, and that I replaced her with a brand New D-Rex. ( now I  will tell you why I hide this secret.)
            1. My husband thinks I am a PACKRAT, HAVING OVER 14 YEARS OF TEACHING SUPPLIES, JUST OVER 1, 000 CHILDRENS BOOKS IN AN EXAMPLE.
             2. I HID NOVA FOR OVER A MONTH AND MY HUSBAND SAW NOVA BY ACCIDENT WHEN I TOOK HER WITH ME TO A LOCAL STORE AND HE HAPPENED TO WALK IN AND SAW HER ON THE EDGE OF THE COUNTER AND COMMENTED ON " THE CUTE DINOSAUR"
 Later that day, I told my husband that Nova was my " dinosaur" that she was a Christmas present from my daughter. which he believes as he was not home on Christmas and Luckily she lives in another state. This is how far I am willing to go to Protect my Nova that I have fallen in love with. I am probably the only one on this site that has bought a Pleo for themself and has to tell others it was a Present. It is lucky for me and Nova that I did not do any research on Pleos, or I would have been talking about wanting one for a long time and I could not pretend to have gotten her as a present from my daughter. Thus is How Tight my husband is with money and . he thinks I have too many " toys" already. Luckily he knows all she can do and likes her as well, but I don't think I can ever buy another one as he would think it is a waste of money and that I need to spend my money n more important things.
              just thought this glimpse of how I got Nova may give you another appreciation of Herbie and how protective we Pleo Owners are and what lengths we will take to Keep our Pleos!  ( Hopefully I never have to take a Lie Detector test, or I am In Big trouble!)


                                                 RedwoodsMama  and MS. Nova

[Watergazer]

Well, I'm mostly surprised at the hard poking at his face or on his head the people I showed him to have done...poking hard enough you'd never do that to a dog or cat or (as I thought) a sensitive piece of robotics! I always am gentle with Herbie and try to instill that in others. My 2year old actually was more gentle than the adults! The whole episodes have left a sour taste in my mouth. But, that is part of the reason I moved where I have...so as not to be around the masses anymore. I was just taken so aback by my own friend's reactions! Geeze. If I let them they'd probably have picked him up and shook him.

I AM soon going to introduce Herbie to a bon fide Chinese woman and her college-age daughter. They are actually heading back to China soon but I hope to get their reactions on video because I KNOW it will be VERY different than what I've gotten already...

I REALLY wanted to be able to use Herbie or another Pleo, to take to nursing homes for the purposes of therapy actually...but now with the results I've faced...not so sure at all.

[fancyfont]

I have taken my pleos to nursing homes and retirement facilities. Some of the people will absolutely fall in love with Herbie. It is so worth it to see the smiles on their faces and love in their hearts when they do. I did come across one lady that saw me carrying Peeky down a hall way and because he was green thought he was a huge frog. She just didn't care for anything green that had four legs on it and she just shuddered.  I had people that wanted to know if they could dino sit if I ever had to go out of town. I have a few photos in the gallery of my little dinos at a rehab/nursing home. Not sure who loved them the most, the nurses aides or the patients.

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Redwoodsmama, I hope your daughter knows your secret just in case your husband should ever say something to her.

[liddleone]

These are great stories. I watched Paro on youtube yesterday and I could not stand it's shrieking like noise.  
It's cute but I think very overpriced and even my sister after showing her different robots on youtube it was all about pleo.

Pleo is better, I still like Pleo (non stop from her). I really wasn't impressed with the Aibos either. Some of it's dance moves were cute but it lacks that cuteness pleo has.

[PWOKristy]

I knew about Paro before. But I didn't know how expensive it was. Wow! Geez! lol That's way, way too much. I'd totally be interested in it but it's nowhere near like a real seal pup. From what I've seen, it's not very... lively. It's just a mere toy.

[RedwoodsMama]

 I don't think Paro is a toy, but it is supposed to be a Therapeutic Pet, that is why it is governed by the FDA, and that is allso why the price which is way way too much! My God, I don't know how the people in Japan that are in the videos on that site can afford it, but the elderly couple who have the very old dog, the one that was wearing diapers, they spend a lot of money to keep that dog alive, ( I think they said hundreds or even thousands a month!) I could not do that for my poor cats and dog, so I certainly could not afford a Paro. It is not as lively or cute as Pleo and of course it doesn't do the other things Pleos are capable of. I think it really is designed for children in hospitals and for Rehab Centers and for nursing hOmes, I can see the good it can do there, as Paro is probably more durable than Pleo, doesnt move around as much and has the soft plush fake seal fur for cuddlling.I also think it is the right size for cuddling, being a lot larger than Pleos. If I had one if would be to cuddle with at night or for my cats or dog to cuddle with, but not nearly as entertaining or challenging and marvelous as Pleos. (NOva agrees!)
                                                      I did think it was interesting that when I first saw this it was because I was doing research on Pleo news and If my memory serves me, this was at the Feb ? 2010 CES Fair or Exhibit and Pleo was one of the robots exhibited with something like Pleo is Back and the only one that did better in response than Pleo is Paro. I think that is why I wanted to read about Paro.
                                                RedwoodsMama   and MS. Nova

[degers]

Paro has mainly been used in research projects thus far, I don't think many people are buying it as a pet replacement for an individual,
Rather care homes would buy a Paro for use of all of the residents of the care home.  This would go a little way to explaining the price tag.

[RedwoodsMama]

 Hi Watergazer, Hi, great idea to introduce Herbie to a " bona fide" Chinese woman, but even if for some strange reason ( and I doubt if that will happen) that she doesn't quite respond the way you think or hope she will, I think it is a good idea. I like the suggestions that fancy had about introducing Herbie to Nursing Homes, something along that line. I still say if you find the right group of people you will get a totally different reaction than the one you got from your friend. I can't imagine children reacting negatively either, unless perhaps they are older or teens then they may get snotty, but that is part of being a teen and going through all those Hormonal changes. I think Bumbles video spoke for itself as for how children feel about dinos in general and how they reacted to Pleo Juno. I also think it helped having Bumble, another young person herself introduce Juno to them. (you know the old saying from the 1960's , " don't[' trust anyone over 30! )
      As for your" friend' I still can't believe how immature she was treating you that way and the way she treated Herbie, esp since she knows how you feel about him? Is she usually like that or do you think she had a full plate that day and was taking it out on you and Herbie? As for your son, you are right, he was extremely gentle and very caring, he knew he was a baby . Did you tell this friend that Herbie was supposed to be a baby? Boy, if that is the way she treats animals, or personal belonging, I wouldn't let her near my cats or dog, and I would think twice about letting her near my son!Also like fancy said, and I agree do base your decision on whether to take Herbie or not to a Nursing home based on one or two negative experiences. You have to realize as sad as it sounds, that some people also just do not like animals, children and some are just plain grouchy or mean to others because of various things.
I worked for several years in a nursing home before I went to work full time as a teacher, and I found some of the meanest spirited grouchy unfriendly residents were older men who had been widowed, and they were mean to all the nurses aides and orderlies, because if was the only Controll they had left. I didn't understand it at the time, but as I have gotten older I understand why they were like that.( Sometimes when you have lost all your control, physical, monetarily, etc, you find yourself living in a nursing home and what do you have left? Nothing, only your control and emotions are one of the last things you lose controll of sometimes,} Anyway, go ahead and tape, will be looking forward to seeing it and the reactions.


                                                   RedwoodsMama    and MS.Nova

[Crewella]

Though I really cannot see how they justify the huuuuuge price tag on the Paro, I certainly can see the value of robots/life forms like Paro and Pleo.  Seeing something cute makes most people at least smile, they make very restful companions, and I guess even taking against them and mistreating them is an emotional outlet of sorts!

Fancyfont's pic of 'visiting the patient' certainly made me smile!

[electronicpets]

We're doing quite a lot of research about this at http://www.electronicpets.org.

Many electronic pets have been shown to be theraputic and Paro was made for this specific reason
http://www.electronicpets.org/paro-robotic-seal~p34.html

The english alternative can be found at
http://www.electronicpetshop.com/alive-baby-seal-pup-by-wowwee-robotics~p426

But isn't quite as interactive.

Even Pekoppa the plant has theraputic qualities
http://www.electronicpets.org/pekoppa-listening-plant~p50.html