PALRO: a conversation robot in 600 care facilities, with sales ending in 2025

A 40 cm robot that reached 600 care facilities

PALRO is a conversation robot made by Fujisoft of Japan. Development began around 2008, and sales to educational institutions started in March 2010. It was extended to care facilities in June 2012. It stands about 40 cm tall and learns faces, voices and preferences. In care facilities it talks with residents, sings, runs quizzes, leads exercises and greets visitors at the entrance. The number of facilities using it was about 50 in June 2013. It rose to about 300 by December 2015 and to 600 by December 2016. Model II for senior facilities, released in December 2015, was rented at ¥30,000 a month (excluding tax) on a 24-month contract.

A trial in 23 facilities in Fujisawa

Kanagawa Prefecture tested it first. In August 2013 a trial began at 23 senior homes in Fujisawa City, and in September 2014 Fujisawa and Fujisoft signed an agreement on preventive care. That month the ROBOT TOWN SAGAMI council asked the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to cover five life-support robots, PALRO among them, under nursing care insurance. Fujisoft said its 2014 verification confirmed that an exercise program helped improve older people’s cognitive and physical function. That assessment is the company’s own.

65 of 77 residents with dementia in a positive state

One independent study is available. A preliminary study published in Gerontechnology in 2022 observed a leisure program led by PALRO with 77 residents with dementia, aged 67 to 97, at five facilities in Kanagawa. Using Dementia Care Mapping, 84.4 percent (65 people) were in a positive state after the program. The authors noted that there was no control group and that few participants were men. The funding was a Kanagawa Prefecture grant. In a Japanese government magazine, a resident said, “Talking with this little guy is so relaxing.” Because older people and their families asked for one at home, Fujisoft released a gift package in August 2018 at ¥348,000 (excluding tax).

Sales end, with support until 2027

On 19 December 2025 Fujisoft announced the end of PALRO sales, citing changes in the business environment and shifts in market demand. Gift package sales ended on 31 December 2025 and the care-facility model on 31 March 2026. Cloud service and repair reception end on 31 March 2027 for the care-facility model and on 31 December 2027 for the gift package. The dates for ending repairs were published together with the end of sales. How far its conversation depends on the cloud service is something we could not confirm.

When sales end, can a facility keep doing with this robot what it did before?

What we haven’t confirmed

• Units sold and the number of facilities still using it (no figure after the 600 of 2016)
• Which functions PALRO keeps once the cloud service ends
• How much PALRO reduced staff workload in facilities (the official site says so but gives no measurement)