Product Description

Paro was designed by Takanori Shibata of the Intelligent System Research Institute of Japan's AIST beginning in 1993. It was first exhibited to the public in late 2001, costing US$15 million to develop, and became a "Best of COMDEX" finalist in 2003,^[1] and handmade versions have been sold commercially by Shibata's company Intelligent System Co. since 2004.^[2] Paro is based on harp seals Shibata saw in an ice field in northeastern Canada, where he also recorded their cries in order to use them for Paro's simulated cries.^[3][4] Paro was classified as a Class 2 medical device by U.S. regulators in fall 2009