We are pleased to announce that Professor Shibata, the inventor of the PARO robot, will be delivering a lecture at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili on May 26th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Please see the attached program.
This will be a hybrid session, and we would be delighted if you could join us. Please share this information with anyone who might be interested.
LECTURE BY DR. TAKANORI SHIBATA, INVENTOR OF THE PARO ROBOT
Tarragona, May 26, 2025
Hybrid session (online and in person): https://bit.ly/440NxDX
Sala de Graus (Campus Catalunya) Universitat Rovira i Virgili
[The lecture will be conducted entirely or mostly in English.]
Dr. Takanori Shibata has been the Chief Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan since 2013. His research interests include human-robot interaction, robot therapy, mental health for astronauts on long-term missions, and humanitarian demining. He has received numerous scientific awards. In 2002, PARO was listed in the Guinness World Records as the World's Most Therapeutic Robot; in 2015, it received the Patient Trophy for innovation in non-pharmacological therapy for dementia from Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, France, one of the largest medical groups in the world; and in 2017, it received the "Best of the Best" award from Argentum, a major U.S. association serving companies that operate professionally managed senior living communities. Dr. Shibata received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electronic and Mechanical Engineering from Nagoya University. He has been a visiting research scientist at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab and the AI Lab at the University of Zurich. He has also served as Deputy Director for Information and Communication Technology Policy at the Japan Bureau of Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy.
Dr. Shibata's lecture is part of the MyRobot research project. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, MyRobot investigates the use of social robotics with older adults and elderly persons with dementia in Spanish nursing homes.
PROGRAM
- 12:00 PM Official Welcome
- Prof. Josep Pallarès, Rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili
- Dr. Jaume Vallverdú, Head of the Department of Anthropology, Philosophy, and Social Work
- Ms. Rosa Maria Fumàs i Pascual, TIC SALUT SOCIAL (Generalitat of Catalonia)
- 12:10 PM The MyRobot Project - Dr. Blanca Deusdad Ayala
- 12:25 PM Introduction to Dr. Shibata - Mr. Rafael Martínez Permuy, (AsturHealth, official PARO distributor)
- 12:30 PM Baby Seal Robot, PARO, as a Psychophysiological Biofeedback Medical Device - Dr. Takanori Shibata
- 1:20 PM Discussion - Dr. Andreu Català (UPC); Dr. Fernando Vidal (ICREA-URV)
- 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM Open Discussion
