The verified answer
As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies PARO Robots: 2 models, 3 deployments across 3 regions. 1 source back the record.
CategoryCompanion robots
Overview
PARO Robots is a Japanese company developing PARO, an advanced interactive therapeutic robot designed as a baby harp seal for use in hospitals, nursing homes, and care facilities. Invented by Takanori Shibata at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), PARO is FDA-classified as a medical device and deployed in over 30 countries to provide animal therapy benefits for patients with dementia and other conditions.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 3 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Focus
Robot
Developer
Recognition
Customers
Technology
Inventor
FDA
Deployed in
Form
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (2)
View all models →Current platform
PARO
PARO is an advanced interactive therapeutic robot designed as a baby harp seal, FDA-classified as a Class II medical device. It is used in hospitals, nursing homes, and care facilities in over 30 countries to provide animal therapy benefits for patients with dementia, depression, and other conditions.
Previous platform
PARO
PARO is an interactive therapeutic robot shaped like a baby harp seal, developed by Japan's AIST; certified by Guinness World Records as the world's most therapeutic robot, it uses touch, light, hearing, temperature, and posture sensors to respond to people and is used in dementia and elder care.
Partnerships
Every company PARO Robots has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1AIST National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology1× joint
- 2Teknologisk Institut1× joint
Most recent
PARO Robots on the deployment map
View the global map3 verified deployments across 3 regions, newest verified Jan 2008. Explore where PARO Robots's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full PARO Robots deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Takanori Shibata Inventorsecondary-verified
Founders (1)
- Takanori Shibatasole
Safety record
No incidents on record for PARO Robots.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- PARO Robots3 deployments
Recent coverage
PARO Robots in third-party press
Peers
144 peers across 1 segment. Every PARO Robots competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
service(144)
113 companies in this segment · competitive (HHI 831.3520919269878) · leader Bond at 1957%
- 1X Technologiesdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- A&K Roboticsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Aescapedirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Allen Control Systemsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Amazondirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Amity Roboticsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
2 total · 2 operating
Every company PARO Robots has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
Most-frequent partners
- 1AIST National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology1× joint
- 2Teknologisk Institut1× joint
All 2 partnerships
open in the atlas →- PARO Robots x Teknologisk Institut Europe DistributionwithTeknologisk Institutdistribution—operating
- PARO Robots x AIST Japan DevelopmentwithAIST National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technologydevelopment—operating
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJun 24, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2008
PARO at Denmark
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2003
PARO at Worldwide (30+ countries)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2003
PARO at Japan (JGSDF Trials)
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is PARO Robots?
What does PARO Robots make?
Who competes with PARO Robots?
Who is the CEO of PARO Robots?
Where is PARO Robots headquartered?
Where does PARO Robots operate robots?
How many robots has PARO Robots deployed?
Is PARO Robots a top robotics company?
When was PARO Robots founded?
Is PARO Robots safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for PARO Robots.Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Ecovacs Robotics19 models
- SharkNinja14 models
- iRobot9 models
- Mammotion7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning PARO Robots from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Patria drives armored vehicle in Finland from Tokyo desk
Finnish defense manufacturer Patria remotely operated an AMV armored vehicle located in Finland from a control desk in Tokyo, a distance of more than 7,800 kilometers (4,847…
Researchers Say Robot-Assisted Surgery Shows Clinical Advantages Over Laparoscopic Surgery for Gastric Cancer
Insider Brief Robotic surgery was associated with less blood loss, fewer conversions to open surgery and shorter hospital stays than conventional laparoscopic procedures for…
Sexual Assault Response Team Awarded $236K Federal Grant for New Site in Santa Barbara
The SART Cottage Relocation Project will include wraparound services for survivors with advanced forensic and recording technology to provide the “next generation” of…
A bad internet connection can quietly cost someone a job opportunity, a patient’s trust, or even parole — research found that tiny video-call glitches make faces and voices feel uncanny, and people punish the person on screen for it
Across randomized experiments and real-call archives, brief audiovisual glitches made communicators feel uncanny and lowered hiring, trust and other evaluations.
California sued over policy that could free serial killers as Laci Peterson's friend sounds alarm
A California parole board policy could open reduced sentencing or clemency paths for serial killers and mass shooters serving life without parole.
Scott Wiener says ConnieChan.ai chatbot, campaign billboards to be removed
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- State Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Congress, announced Friday that his campaign is taking down the…
Bay Area woman who tried to kill estranged husband found fit for parole
(KRON) -- Nearly 15 years after brutally stabbing her estranged husband while the couple was going through a bitter divorce, a Los Altos woman was found suitable for parole on…
Stripped stolen vehicles found in East Oakland chop shop: CHP
(KRON) -- Two parolees were arrested last month after they were caught running an illegal chop shop in East Oakland, according to the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate…
Scott Wiener launches Connie Chan chatbot
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- As the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress heats up, State Sen. Scott Wiener has launched an AI chatbot parody of his opponent, SF Supervisor Connie…
Corporate Philanthropy: Corporate Giving Flatlines
Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest re-entry program for formerly incarcerated, gang-involved individuals, is entering a significant phase of expansion that is intensifying…
US dad who gave gun to high school shooter gets 15 years in prison
A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray’s…
Inside the first-of-its-kind Enable Injections enFuse drug delivery wearable
When Sanofi won FDA approval in July 2026 for the first anticancer treatment administered with an on-body injector (OBI), the Enable Injections enFuse platform made it possible.…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/paro.md
- RSS feed: /companies/paro/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/dd74c39d-7a47-4efe-abb5-a9a9f0ed9c18
- Revision history: /companies/paro/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Ecovacs Robotics19 models
- SharkNinja14 models
- iRobot9 models
- Mammotion7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
Video
The 'tranquillity chair' is a fabric doll built into a rocking chair, designed to comfort those in desperate need of some understanding. It was showcased yesterday at the International Home care and Rehabilitation exhibi
Dr Elizabeth Broadbent introduces Wallace Chapman to PARO - the furry robot helping people with dementia.
Speakers: Takanori Shibata Chief Senior Research Scientist National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Robots: PARO Therapeutic rob
meet Paro, the robot seal (he's taking the world by storm) Health Psychologist Professor Elizabeth Broadbent and Mina talking about mental health, robotics, AI
PARO is an evidence-based neurological therapeutic seal robot that has been an FDA cleared Class II Medical Device in the US since 2009. PARO is built in an FDA
June 4 (Bloomberg) -- On "Weird Wall Street," Adam Johnson, Trish Regan and Julie Hyman look at bizarre business stories on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smar
The PARO therapeutic robot seal and Hasbro's JOY FOR ALL Companion Pet at The 2016 OPEN MINDS Technology & Informatics Institute, November 10, 2016
Star reporter Jennifer Yang travels to Japan to meet Paro, an advanced interactive robot helping people with dementia.
Reality vs attention
PARO Robots draws attention at the 94th percentile but verifies reality at the 8th percentile among companion_robot robots. Hype Gap +86.1, 1st widest among companion_robot robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 3 verified deployments. Meaningful press and media coverage across the period. Limited public funding data for capital position assessment.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Aug 29, 2026