The PARO® robot: a colleague like any other?

Cécile Dolbeau-Bandin: Senior Lecturer in Information and Communication Sciences (UNICAEN) - Researcher at CERReV EA 3918 (UNICAEN) (Centre d'étude et de recherche sur les risques et les vulnérabilités) - Member of the UNESCO Chair in Journalistic and Media Practices (University of Strasbourg) - Member of IERHR (Paris) (Institut pour l'Étude des Relations Homme-Robot)

Since the 2000s, robotics research has developed a field called "robot-assisted therapy" or Robot Assisted Activity (RAA). But what is the reality in the field? This study analyzes the transformations induced by the introduction of an animaloid social robot into a hospital care unit. The object of study is the PARO® robot used in the Cognitive Behavioral Unit (UCC) and Alzheimer's Follow-up...