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Article: Itasca firm offers robotic baby seal with TLC.(Business)
- Article from:
- Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
- Article date:
- November 6, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Paddock Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The baby harp seal can purr, squirm, bat its eye lashes and turn its head when itAEs called.
At night, you can give it a pacifier when it goes to "sleep" to recharge.
The 2-foot-long, 6-pound robotic animal intends to offer some TLC to nursing home patients, autistic children, people with disabilities and others needing therapeutic-type healing. Japan-based Paro Robots U.S. Inc., headquartered in Itasca, will start distribution here on Dec. 1.
Price tag: $6,000 each.
"We had to work with the FDA first before we could sell it here," said Christine Hsu, general manager of the Itasca office.
The FDA issued a Class 2 exempt ...