--- title: "Adorable Robot Seals Could Help COVID Patients Fight Loneliness" description: "Healthcare workers in the US are relying on sophisticated robotic seals to help their COVID-19 patients ward off loneliness." date: "2020-06-22" modified: "2020-06-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/robot-seals-help-covid-patients-fight-loneliness" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Prosthetics and Devices" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "therapy" - "therapy robot" --- # Adorable Robot Seals Could Help COVID Patients Fight Loneliness ![Healthcare workers in the US are relying on sophisticated robotic seals to help their COVID-19 patients ward off loneliness.]() *\Image: PARO\* Healthcare workers in the US are relying on sophisticated robotic seals to help their COVID-19 patients ward off loneliness, [*Wired* reports](). The baby harp seals — which, honestly: oddly adorable — are built by PARO Robots and designed to weigh as much as a human baby and go for $6,000 each. It sounds like a steep price for what looks like a plush toy you could pick up at a toy store. In reality, they're sophisticated artificial intelligence-enhanced "therapeutic robots," according to the [company's website.]() They're able to reduce patient stress, stimulate interactions between patients and caregivers, and improve socialization. "By interaction with people, PARO responds as if it is alive, moving its head and legs, making sounds, and showing your preferred behavior," reads the website. "PARO also imitates the voice of a real baby harp seal." During a global pandemic, therapeutic robot seals are all the rage. "The role of social robots like Paro is becoming more important, especially as we see this sector of our population targeted by this virus," Sandra Petersen, program director for the University of Texas at Tyler’s nursing department who also runs PARO-certification classes, told *Wired*. "It's built for a time such as this." "Since we can’t have human interaction right now it’s certainly a lot better than nothing," MIT robotics ethicist Kate Darling told *Wired*. The company has run several studies to prove their little seals can actually help with loneliness. "One lady who had been nonverbal for eight years, per her family’s report, started talking," Petersen added. "And her first words were 'I love you—to the Paro." ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()