The paro robot seal as a social mediator for healthy users

Robots are being designed to provide companionship, but there is some concern that they could lead to a reduction in human contact for vulnerable populations. However, some field data suggests that robots may have a social mediation effect in humanhuman interactions. This study examined social mediation effects in a controlled laboratory setting. In this study 114 unacquainted female volunteers were put in pairs and randomised to interact together with an active Paro, an inactive Paro, or a dinosaur toy robot. Each pair was invited to evaluate and interact with the robot together during a ten minute session. Post-interaction questionnaires measured the quality of dyadic interaction between participants during the session. Our results indicate that the strongest social mediation effect was from the active Paro.