Robot baby seals will be helping keep loneliness at bay for residents at an Auckland retirement village.
The Selwyn Foundation has become the first service provider to purchase four robot seals known as "Paro" for residents to interact with.
'Paro' are fluffy white baby Canadian harp seals that respond to touch by making soft noises, moving their head and tail and opening their eyes.
The Selwyn Foundation has purchased four of the therapeutic robots, worth nearly $27,000 each, after a trial was carried out at Selwyn Height retirement village last year.
The trial found rest home resident were less lonely and more engaged after sessions with Paro.
The Selwyn Heights' study was published in the acclaimed Journal of American Medical Directors Association in 2013, and received attention internationally.
"A key finding was that our residents in the study, who are not significantly cognitively impaired, were more inclined to talk to caregivers and others as a result of their interaction with Paro," said Garry Smith, chief executive of The Selwyn Foundation.
"They simply loved having Paro around. We're now acting on those findings and giving our residents the opportunity to benefit from Paro in the long-term."
Mr Smith said he didn't believe robots would ever replace personal care.
"Our experience shows, though, that Paro does help stimulate activity in residents and also brings physiological benefits, such as helping to lower blood pressure. Paro is just fun for them. There is a place for robots in the future of healthcare, and in ensuring the on-going wellbeing of residents."
Paro's creator, Dr Takanori Shibata, will be at Selwyn Heights in Hillsborough when the robots are handed over tomorrow.
Dr Elizabeth Broadbent of the University of Auckland will head an investigation into whether Paro is useful for people with dementia and their caregivers in the day-care environment and at home.
The purchase of the four Paro robots was made possible by a grant from The Charles Rupert Stead Trust.
.
¦Baby seal robots may sound familiar for some fans of TV show The Simpsons -- in a 2011 episode Bart and a classmate invented a cute robotic baby seal that was sold to a retirement centre.
But the TV version didn't have a happy ending -- the software was hacked causing the seals to turn evil, and they were impounded by Chief Wiggum.
NZME. sr hm
