Home Computing News A fluffy robotic seal could soon be your unlikely companion at mental health appointments. Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust A baby seal robot for mental health care might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie , but Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust is actually piloting one in its outpatient clinics, and the idea makes a lot of sense when you dig into it. It’s a PARO robot (a personal robot designed for therapeutic purposes) which looks and behaves like a baby seal. It responds to touch, sound, light, and temperature with gentle movements and soft sounds. Think of it like a therapy animal, but without the unpredictability of a real animal. You can hold it, interact with it, and it reacts back. Why does this matter for mental health appointments? Going to a mental health appointment can feel overwhelming for many people. For patients with learning disabilities, hospital environments can be especially difficult to navigate.…