be cared for like a pet and may be used by individuals who are sensitive to hair, it has proven to be a more practical and helpful alternative to guide dogs. The robot is capable to help monitor energy consumption. Description Paro is outfitted with dual 32-bit processors, three microphones, twelve tactile sensors covering its fur, touch-sensitive whiskers, and a delicate system of motors and actuators that silently move its limbs and body. The robot responds to petting by moving its tail and opening and closing its eyes. Shibata designed it to actively seek out eye contact, respond to touch, cuddle with people, remember faces, and learn actions that generate a favorable reaction. He argues, Paro also responds to sounds and can learn names, including its own. It produces sounds similar to a real baby seal and, unlike a real baby seal, is programmed to be active during the day and to sleep at night. The robot comes in white but also gold, pink and gray. Ethical concerns Dr. Bill Thomas, founder of the Green House Project which aims to replace long-term care at nursing homes with small, home-like environments where people can live full and interactive lives, raised concerns over whether it was humane to entrust the task of emotional support for human beings to robots. Dr. Sherry Turkle, the director of MIT’s Initiative on Technology and the Self, argued that robots like Paro provide an illusion of a relationship, and those who find human relationships challenging may turn to robots for companionship instead. In popular culture In The Simpsons episode "Replaceable You", Bart Simpson and Martin Prince created robotic baby seals which they named "Robopets". These were essentially Paro robots which were designed to make the old people in Springfield Retirement Castle happier. Paro is featured in "Old People," the eighth episode of the first season of Aziz Ansari's Netflix show, Master of None. See also Robotic pet References External links (US) (Japan) Journalistic Project on Therapeutic Use of Paro in Germany Therapeutic robots Robotic animals Social robots 2001 robots Robots of Japan Pinnipeds