DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

PARO

serviceproductionby PARO Robots

PARO is an advanced interactive therapeutic robot designed as a baby harp seal, FDA-classified as a Class II medical device.

Track PARO
Manufacturer
PARO Robots
Form factor
service
Maturity
production
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
3
Website
parorobots.com ↗

The verified answer

As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies PARO, a service by PARO Robots (production): 3 verified deployments on record. 1 source back the record.

Overview

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.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
production(Full-scale production deployment with repeat customers.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Focus

Therapeutic-robot maker

Robot

Interactive robotic baby harp seal

Developer

Developed by Japan's AIST, led by Takanori Shibata

Recognition

Certified by Guinness World Records as the world's most therapeutic robot

Customers

Widely used in dementia and elder care

Technology

Equipped with five sensor systems: touch, light, hearing, temperature, and posture

Inventor

Takanori Shibata

FDA

Class II medical device (neurological therapeutic)

Deployed in

30+ countries

Form

Baby harp seal robot

Data & sources

Web sources

1

1 source backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for PARO. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (3)

  • PARO at Worldwide (30+ countries)operational

    ~5,000 PARO units in use worldwide across 30+ countries including US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

  • PARO at Denmarkoperational

    110 PARO units purchased by Danish nursing homes since late 2008, mainly with public funds.

  • PARO at Japanoperational

    3,000+ PARO units sold in Japan to nursing homes, hospitals, and consumers.

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

PARO on the deployment map

View the global map

Where PARO is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Previous generation

The historical entries remain on the registry for reference; current coverage tracks this generation.

Safety record

No incidents on record for PARO.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (1)

  1. http://www.parorobots.com/

Common questions

What is 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.
How much does PARO cost?
PARO's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for PARO from PARO Robots. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is PARO actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. PARO is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes PARO?
PARO is made by PARO Robots, based in Nagoya, Japan, founded in 2003.
Where is PARO deployed?
3 verified deployments of PARO are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Worldwide (30+ countries), Denmark, Japan.
Can you buy PARO?
PARO is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to PARO?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable service robots to PARO include Tally, Locus Origin, Moxi, Mirokai.
How does PARO compare to Tally?
PARO and Tally (Simbe Robotics · 16 deployments) are both service robots on the DEPLOY registry. PARO has 3 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is PARO a top service?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, PARO ranks in roughly the top 7% of service models tracked by the registry.
What is PARO's maturity stage?
PARO is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.
Is PARO safe?
PARO has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-08

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-08

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: service

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.

Recent coverage

PARO in third-party press

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Oct 2, 2026

Man sentenced for murdering San Francisco toddler

Oct 1, 2026

Man sentenced to life in prison for deadly ambush shooting of LASD deputy

Oct 1, 2026