{"id":"dd74c39d-7a47-4efe-abb5-a9a9f0ed9c18","name":"PARO Robots","slug":"paro","description":"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](/companies/science-corp) 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.","status":"active","founded":2003,"hq":"Nagoya, Japan","hqLat":35.1851045,"hqLng":136.8998438,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:42:48.632Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"parorobots.com","fundingTotal":null,"type":"both","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.parorobots.com/","title":"PARO therapeutic robot","date_accessed":"2026-06-24"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Focus","value":"Therapeutic-robot maker"},{"label":"Robot","value":"Interactive robotic baby harp seal"},{"label":"Developer","value":"Developed by Japan's AIST, led by Takanori Shibata"},{"label":"Recognition","value":"Certified by Guinness World Records as the world's most therapeutic robot"},{"label":"Customers","value":"Widely used in dementia and elder care"},{"label":"Technology","value":"Equipped with five sensor systems: touch, light, hearing, temperature, and posture"},{"label":"Inventor","value":"Takanori Shibata"},{"label":"FDA","value":"Class II medical device (neurological therapeutic)"},{"label":"Deployed in","value":"30+ countries"},{"label":"Form","value":"Baby harp seal robot"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-24T10:12:23.256Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T22:26:04.201Z","jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/companies/paro","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/companies/paro","name":"PARO Robots","description":"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](/companies/science-corp) 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.","identifier":"dd74c39d-7a47-4efe-abb5-a9a9f0ed9c18","foundingDate":"2003","address":"Nagoya, Japan","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":1,"primary_source_types":[]}}}