Can a social robot be too warm or too competent? Older Chinese adults’ perceptions of social robots and vulnerabilities

How can robots facilitate physical, cognitive, and social engagement in skilled nursing facilities?

As people live longer, the population of older adults in need of support continues to expand relative to the available workforce of caregivers, necessitating new solutions to supplement caregiver availability for the physical, cognitive, and social needs of older adults. Robotics and automation present strong possible solutions. Past solutions have typically supported short-term rehabilitation and aging in place, yet many older adults live in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), a setting reached by relatively little research to date. In this paper, we examine the unique needs of staff and residents at SNFs, after which we begin an iterative design process of robot-mediated wellness activities for the SNF space. We worked closely with domain experts in exercise science and physical therapy for older adults and a local SNF to design and test a series of robot-mediated activity prototypes with residents, visitors, and staff. We found that while both residents and staff highly value physical activity, there are nuanced challenges associated with supporting resident activity (one important element of overall wellbeing). As a result, we considered and tested a wide range of intervention options from usual approaches (e.g., mirroring movements) to creative approaches (e.g., social engagement via lewd humor). Our final design insights can inform practitioners who wish to use robots to support resident wellbeing in SNFs.

Public perception of socially assistive robots for healthcare in the EU: A large-scale survey

This paper presents the results of a large-scale survey (n = 1092) that explored the attitudes and opinions of European Citizens regarding the adoption of socially assistive robots (SARs) for healthcare in the EU. We examined which functions citizens would support and which they consider a threat to trustworthy SARs. We additionally explored the relationships between the perceived vulnerability of the care recipient and acceptance, between attitudes towards robots and gender, age, religious beliefs, and previous experience interacting with SARs, and whether the degree of responsibility taken in performing a role affects acceptance. We also compared attitudes towards robots across European regions. The functions most negatively rated were triage and banning entrance. Privacy raised particular concern. We also found an inverse correlation between the perceived vulnerability of care recipients and acceptance. Additionally, we found a positive relationship between religious beliefs and fear of robots, a positive relationship between previous robot experience and attitudes towards them, and that females have less positive attitudes towards robots than males. Also, the degree of responsibility in a role determined acceptance. Involving citizens in the decisions concerning SARs deployment is important to build a society that people feel is fair in terms of robot coexistence. The results of the survey intend to provide evidence-based support to policies in this area.

Qualitative study on domestic social robot adoption and associated security concerns among older adults in Slovenia

Introduction

Despite the increasing use of domestic social robots by older adults, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding attitudes, concerns, and potential adoption behavior in this population. This study aims to categorize older adults into distinct technology adoption groups based on their attitudes toward domestic social robots and their behavior in using the existing technology.

Methods

An exploratory qualitative research design was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 24 retired Slovenian older adults aged 65 years or older, conducted between 26 June and 14 September 2023.

Results

Four distinct groups of older adults were identified: (1) Cautious Optimists, (2) Skeptical Traditionalists, (3) Positive Optimists, and (4) Technophiles based on eight characteristics.

Discussion

These groups can be aligned with the categories of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Privacy and security concerns, influenced by varying levels of familiarity with the technology, pose barriers to adoption. Perceived utility and ease of use vary considerably between groups, highlighting the importance of taking into account the different older adults. The role of social influence in the adoption process is complex, with some groups being more receptive to external opinions, while others exhibit more autonomous decision-making.

Research Hotspots and Trends of Social Robot Interaction Design: A Bibliometric Analysis

(1) Background: Social robot interaction design is crucial for determining user acceptance and experience. However, few studies have systematically discussed the current focus and future research directions of social robot interaction design from a bibliometric perspective. Therefore, we conducted this study in order to identify the latest research progress and evolution trajectory of research hotspots in social robot interaction design over the last decade. (2) Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review based on 2416 papers related to social robot interaction design obtained from the Web of Science (WOS) database. Our review utilized bibliometric techniques and integrated VOSviewer and CiteSpace to construct a knowledge map. (3) Conclusions: The current research hotspots of social robot interaction design mainly focus on #1 the study of human-robot relationships in social robots, #2 research on the emotional design of social robots, #3 research on social robots for children's psychotherapy, #4 research on companion robots for elderly rehabilitation, and #5 research on educational social robots. The reference co-citation analysis identifies the classic literature that forms the basis of the current research, which provides theoretical guidance and methods for the current research. Finally, we discuss several future research directions and challenges in this field.

Identifying Preferred Appearance and Functional Requirements of Aged Care Robots Among Older Chinese Immigrants: Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Older Chinese immigrants constitute the largest older Asian ethnic population in New Zealand. Aging in a foreign land can be complex, presenting increasing challenges for gerontology scholars, practitioners, and policy makers. Older Chinese immigrants are more susceptible to experiencing loneliness and social isolation compared to native older people, primarily due to language, transportation, and cultural barriers. These factors subsequently impact their physical and mental health. With advancements in robotic technology, aged care robots are being applied to support older people with their daily living needs. However, studies on using robots with older immigrants living in the community are sparse. Their preferences for the appearance and function of aged care robots are unclear, which impacts the acceptance and usability of robots, highlighting the need for a user-centered design approach.

Objective

This study aims to explore older Chinese immigrants' needs and preferences toward the appearance and function of aged care robots and to examine their relationships with the demographic characteristics of participants.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was used in this study, which was undertaken between March and May 2020. A total of 103 participants completed a web-based survey.

Results

The average age of participants was 68.7 (SD 5.5) years. The results suggest that 41.7% (n=43) of the 103 participants preferred a humanlike adult appearance, while 32% (n=33) suggested an animallike appearance. These participants reported higher scores in both rigorousness and friendliness compared to others who preferred different robot appearances. Participants expressed a greater preference for the functions of housework assistance (n=86, 83.5%), language translation (n=79, 76.7%), health monitoring (n=78, 75.7%), facial expressions (n=77, 74.8%), news reading (n=66, 64.1%), and security monitoring (n=65, 63.1%). These preferences were found to be significantly associated with marital status, financial status, and duration of immigration.

Conclusions

To support immigrant populations to age well in a foreign country and address the growing shortage of health and social professionals, it is important to develop reliable robotic technology services that are tailored based on the needs and preferences of individuals. We collected and compared the perspectives of immigrant and nonimmigrant participants on using robots to support aging in place. The results on users' needs and preferences inform robotic technology services, indicating a need to prioritize older Chinese immigrants' preference toward aged care robots that perform housework assistance, language translation, and health and safety monitoring, and robots with humanlike features.

The positive-negative-competence (PNC) model of psychological responses to representations of robots

Robots are becoming an increasingly prominent part of society. Despite their growing importance, there exists no overarching model that synthesizes people's psychological reactions to robots and identifies what factors shape them. To address this, we created a taxonomy of affective, cognitive and behavioural processes in response to a comprehensive stimulus sample depicting robots from 28 domains of human activity (for example, education, hospitality and industry) and examined its individual difference predictors. Across seven studies that tested 9,274 UK and US participants recruited via online panels, we used a data-driven approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques to develop the positive-negative-competence model, which categorizes all psychological processes in response to the stimulus sample into three dimensions: positive, negative and competence-related. We also established the main individual difference predictors of these dimensions and examined the mechanisms for each predictor. Overall, this research provides an in-depth understanding of psychological functioning regarding representations of robots.

Interventions to reduce loneliness among Chinese older adults: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies

This meta-analytic study investigates the effectiveness of different interventions in alleviating loneliness among Chinese older adults aged 50 years and above. We searched eight English databases, four Chinese databases, and grey literature. Thirty-four studies, including four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 30 quasi-experimental studies, were eventually included in the meta-analysis (n = 3843). Quality appraisal indicated risks of bias in the included studies. The pooled effect size was large and significant (Hedge's g = 0.84, 95% CI [0.54, 1.15]), indicating the effectiveness of interventions in reducing loneliness. However, the effect size may be overestimated due to publication bias. Moderation analyses showed significant differences in effect sizes by study designs and regions of studies. Network meta-analysis (NMA) indicated that hybrid and psychological interventions appeared to be advantageous over others. In addition, group-based delivery modes can add extra benefits to the interventions. This study adds to the knowledge of the effectiveness of current interventions in reducing Chinese older people's loneliness. However, the findings need to be interpreted with caution due to the relatively low study quality, considerable heterogeneity, and publication bias. Despite the limitations, this study offers valuable insights for future research, practice, and policy-making in reducing older people's loneliness.

Policy Development on Upskilling/Reskilling Older Population Care Staff in China

Mainland China has been concerned about the national growth rate of older adults aged 60 or above. The rapid growth of the cohort of older adults will significantly burden the Chinese healthcare system as they are at higher risk of suffering from chronic illnesses and functional disabilities. In geriatrics, aged populations often endure a wide range of diseases, dysfunctions, and cognitive impairment, so the corresponding healthcare services needed for them are substantial. The rise in the older adults’ life expectancy has compounded the burden of the healthcare system in mainland China in the long term. In this narrative essay, it is important to discuss how the state should assume a higher share of relevant responsibilities, by assessing how Chinese policymaking has been transformed to better satisfy the older population’s care and healthcare needs in mainland China. It is also pivotal to focus on analysing relevant Chinese policy development within the most recent dozen years to address how China’s state and local governments have been progressing in promptly providing health and older population care services to older Chinese adults. Because of the supply shortage and low quality of older population caregivers and alternative professionals, it is necessary to discuss and highlight the need to reskill or upskill relevant caregivers. As the trend of rural-to-urban labour migration continues, working adults of rural origins increasingly cannot provide domestic older population care, and human investment in training caregivers is an urgent task of Chinese policymaking. Therefore, how Chinese policymaking encourages upskilling or reskilling relevant caregivers is examined in this narrative essay.