Care Providers' Perspectives on the Design of Assistive Persuasive Behaviors for Socially Assistive Robots

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of this research are (1) to uniquely design assistive behaviors for socially assistive robots using the principles of persuasion from behavioral psychology, and (2) to investigate caregivers' perspectives and opinions on the use of these behaviors to engage and motivate older adults in cognitive activities.

DESIGN

We developed 10 unique robot persuasive assistive behavior strategies for the social robot Pepper using both verbal and nonverbal communication modes. Robot verbal behaviors were designed using Cialdini's principles of persuasion; nonverbal behaviors included expansive movements of the body. Care providers' perceptions of the quality, strength, and persuasiveness of these robot persuasive behaviors were assessed based on the Perceived Argument Strength Likert scale.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Eighteen formal and informal care providers caring for older adults including those living with mild cognitive impairments participated.

METHODS

An online survey was designed consisting of short videos of the Pepper robot displaying each behavior. After viewing each video, care providers completed the Perceived Argument Strength Likert scale to evaluate 6 attributes for each behavior. They also provided comments.

RESULTS

Results show robot assistive behaviors using praise with emotion, along with emotion with commitment were the most positively rated by care providers. Qualitative responses indicate robot body language and speech quality were influencing factors in how a person perceives assistance in human-robot interactions.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Our findings provide new insights into incorporating persuasive strategies into the design of assistive social robot behaviors with the aim of engaging and motivating older adults in an activity. The majority of care providers rated the robot persuasive behaviors positively. In designing a persuasive socially assistive robot for older adults, it is beneficial to display a combination of persuasive strategies, such as praise and commitment with emotion, to address individual users' needs and cognitive levels.

Socially Assistive Robots for patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's Disease (AD), is challenging for both those affected as well as for their care providers, and caregivers. Socially assistive robots (SARs) offer promising supportive care to assist in the complex management associated with AD.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a scoping review of published articles that proposed, discussed, developed or tested SAR for interacting with AD patients.

METHODS

We performed a scoping review informed by the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist for reporting the results. At the identification stage, an information specialist performed a comprehensive search of 8 electronic databases from the date of inception until January 2022 in eight bibliographic databases. The inclusion criteria were all populations who recive or provide care for AD, all interventions using SAR for AD and our outcomes of inteerst were any outcome related to AD patients or care providers or caregivers. All study types published in the English language were included.

RESULTS

After deduplication, 1251 articles were screened. Titles and abstracts screening resulted to 252 articles. Full-text review retained 125 included articles, with 72 focusing on daily life support, 46 on cognitive therapy, and 7 on cognitive assessment.

CONCLUSION

We conducted a comprehensive scoping review emphasizing on the interaction of SAR with AD patients, with a specific focus on daily life support, cognitive assessment, and cognitive therapy. We discussed our findings' pertinence relative to specific populations, interventions, and outcomes of human-SAR interaction on users and identified current knowledge gaps in SARs for AD patients.

Staging the Robot: Performing Techno-Politics of Innovation for Care Robotics in Japan

In response to the challenges posed by a rapidly aging society and its associated socio-economic difficulties, the Japanese government has encouraged the adoption of AI and robotics technologies for care. Conspicuous investments in these technologies in Japan underscore the dominance of techno-politics of innovation and the advocacy for the robotization of care practices. Such narratives - disseminated by the Japanese state, industry, media, and academia - often overlook the perspectives of the expected users of these technologies. This paper, rooted in a 14-month-long ethnographic study conducted at robotics labs in Japan and the UK in 2022-2023, examines the performance and ethical implications of technoscientific imaginaries portraying Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) as already reliable, safe, and efficient. It sheds light on the intricate relationship between science, technology, the state, and society, emphasizing their use as instruments of power for state-led national development objectives. Moreover, it exposes how technology is presented, creating an illusion of efficiency while neglecting the necessity of involving society in co-designing and co-producing these technologies. The paper ultimately advocates for responsible innovation, emphasizing in particular the need for user involvement to ensure these technologies are not only more efficient and reliable, but also more accessible, inclusive, and fairer.

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.

Psychophysiological responses to eye contact with a humanoid robot: Impact of perceived intentionality

Eye contact with a social robot has been shown to elicit similar psychophysiological responses to eye contact with another human. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the attention- and affect-related psychophysiological responses differentiate between direct (toward the observer) and averted gaze mainly when viewing embodied faces that are capable of social interaction, whereas pictorial or pre-recorded stimuli have no such capability. It has been suggested that genuine eye contact, as indicated by the differential psychophysiological responses to direct and averted gaze, requires a feeling of being watched by another mind. Therefore, we measured event-related potentials (N170 and frontal P300) with EEG, facial electromyography, skin conductance, and heart rate deceleration responses to seeing a humanoid robot's direct versus averted gaze, while manipulating the impression of the robot's intentionality. The results showed that the N170 and the facial zygomatic responses were greater to direct than to averted gaze of the robot, and independent of the robot's intentionality, whereas the frontal P300 responses were more positive to direct than to averted gaze only when the robot appeared intentional. The study provides further evidence that the gaze behavior of a social robot elicits attentional and affective responses and adds that the robot's seemingly autonomous social behavior plays an important role in eliciting higher-level socio-cognitive processing.

Evaluating the Use of a Robot in a Hematological Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Study

The aim of the SYRIACA project was to test the capability of a social robot to perform specific tasks in healthcare settings, reducing infection risks for patients and caregivers. The robot was piloted in an Intensive Hematological Unit, where the patients' and healthcare operators' acceptability of the robot was evaluated. The robot's functions, including logistics, surveillance, entertainment, and remote visits, were well accepted. Patients expressed interest in having multiple interactions with the robot, which testifies to its engaging potential and that it provides useful services. During remote visits, the robot reduced perceived stress among patients, alleviating feelings of isolation. The successful implementation of the robot suggests its potential to enhance safety and well-being in healthcare settings.

Staging Paro: The care of making robot(s) care

Paro, a baby seal robot, is arguably the best-known care robot worldwide. Its clinical effects on people with special needs have been studied for more than twenty years by multidisciplinary teams. However, there are very few studies of Paro 'in the wild', inserted in the routines and pressures of a care home, which is supposed to be Paro's natural environment. Based on fieldwork in a French public nursing home, this article relocates Paro's psychosocial effects - asserted by its corporate and academic advocates to stem from the robot's software and user-friendly design - in the situated practice of care deployed by the nursing staff. Although it is commonly assumed that the robot can interact autonomously, thanks to its AI, it took considerable efforts to enable 'patient-robot' interactions, and interactions were always mediated by care staff. The supervision of the interaction between Paro and its user(s) by at least one care worker, prescribed by its sales representative to prevent the seal robot from being harmed or monopolized by a resident, thus framed the very course and meaning of the interaction, through an entanglement of verbal and tactile guidance. Staging Paro often meant awakening and maintaining interest from confused or passive users, and playing with its ontological flexibility to meet the preferences of its elderly interlocutors.

The effectiveness of a therapeutic robot, 'Paro', on behavioural and psychological symptoms, medication use, total sleep time and sociability in older adults with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of a therapeutic robot, 'Paro', on anxiety, agitation, depression, apathy, medication use, total sleep time, and sociability among older adults with dementia.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis with narrative synthesis.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Older adults aged 60 years and above with any form of dementia in the community, nursing homes, or care facilities.

METHODS

A three-step search strategy was conducted by two independent reviewers. Nine databases were searched (January 2003 to November 2022). Randomised controlled, crossover, and cluster trials on Paro for older adults with dementia published in English were included. All relevant trials were screened and assessed for risk of bias. Data were extracted using the Cochrane data collection form. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the quality of evidence.

RESULTS

In total, 12 articles involving 1461 participants were included. Results of the meta-analysis showed that Paro had a moderate effect on medication use (SMD: -0.63) and small effect on anxiety (SMD: -0.17), agitation (SMD: -0.27) and depression (SMD: -0.40). However, Paro exhibited negligible effect on total sleep time (SMD: -0.12). The overall quality of evidence for all outcomes were graded as low due to methodological limitations, small sample size, and wide confidence intervals. Narrative synthesis suggested that Paro reduced apathy and increase sociability.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Paro could be a beneficial non-pharmacological approach to improve behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, reducing medication use, and increasing sociability for older adults with dementia. However, the results should be interpreted with caution as limited studies were available. Additionally, there were a variety of approaches across the studies (i.e. group and individual interventions, facilitated and non-facilitated) which made it difficult to determine which interventional approach is optimal to produce beneficial effects of Paro. Hence, more rigorous studies with a larger sample size are needed to fully understand the mechanism and effectiveness of Paro in older adults with dementia. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022296504).

Developmental Study on "Smart Silver Care": A Mobile Application to Alleviate Loneliness in Older Adults within the Community

BACKGROUND

Loneliness poses a significant threat to the quality of life of older adults. Therefore, it is essential to implement non-face-to-face services to solve the loneliness of older adults in the community.

OBJECTIVES

This study used the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model to develop mobile applications as a loneliness intervention for older adults living in the community.

METHODS

A mobile application was developed using the ADDIE model to alleviate loneliness in older adults living in the community. The development process included a systematic review, a face-to-face preference survey, and an experts' evaluation. From 11 to 15 June 2021, the following six databases were used to search for related articles: Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, Cochrane Library, KISS, Korea Med, RISS. A preference analysis was conducted on 100 adults aged 65 or older living in the community from 15 July to 31 August 2021.

RESULTS

A mobile application for community-dwelling older adults was developed. Its contents included emotional support, cognition, physical activity, health data, nutrition, and motivation. They were organized through a systematic review and preference survey in the analysis stage. They were also designed as main menus and sub-content at the design stage. They also designed the structure, functionality, and interface layout. The application was developed by integrating the designed content and determining the operating system, language, access method, privacy, and server history. Then, experts evaluated the validity of the application.

CONCLUSIONS

The prototype mobile application incorporates emotional support, cognition, physical activity, health data, nutrition, and motivation. It is expected to help older adults achieve their goals by promoting participation. By incorporating expert validity into the content development process of early prototypes, we have improved the usability and acceptability of our products. Future pilot trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this mobile application among older adults.

Application of artificial intelligence tools in diagnosis and treatmentof mental disorders

Introduction: Artificial intelligence research is increasing its application in mental health services. Machine learning, deep learning, semantic analysis in the form of transcriptions of patients' statements enable early diagnosis of psychotic disorders, ADHD, anorexia nervosa. Of great importance are the so-called digital therapists. This paper aims to show the use of AI tools in diagnosing, treating, the benefits and limitations associated with mental disorders. Material and methodS: This literature review was conducted by searching scientific articles from 2015 to 2022. The basis were PubMED, OpenKnowledge, Web of Science, using the following keywords: artificial intelligence, digital therapy, psychiatry, machine learning. Results: A review indicates the widespread use of AI tools in screening for mental disorders. These tools advance the clinical diagnosis medical specialists make up for several years. They impact solving medical staff shortages, lack of access to medical facilities and leveling patient resistance to treatment. The benefits are ultra-fast analysis of large sets of information, effective screening of people in need of specialized psychiatric care, reduction of doctors' duties and maximization of their work efficiency. During the current COVID 19 pandemic, robots in the form of digital psychotherapists are playing a special role. Conclusions: The need for further research, testing and clarification of regulations related to the use of AI tools is indicated. Ethical and social problems need to be resolved. The tools should not form the basis of autonomous therapy without the supervision of highly trained professionals. Human beings should be at the center of analysis just as their health and well-being. Keywords: artificial intelligence, digital therapy, psychiatry, machine learning

Long-Term Exercise Assistance: Group and One-on-One Interactions between a Social Robot and Seniors

For older adults, regular exercises can provide both physical and mental benefits, increase their independence, and reduce the risks of diseases associated with aging. However, only a small portion of older adults regularly engage in physical activity. Therefore, it is important to promote exercise among older adults to help maintain overall health. In this paper, we present the first exploratory long-term human–robot interaction (HRI) study conducted at a local long-term care facility to investigate the benefits of one-on-one and group exercise interactions with an autonomous socially assistive robot and older adults. To provide targeted facilitation, our robot utilizes a unique emotion model that can adapt its assistive behaviors to users’ affect and track their progress towards exercise goals through repeated sessions using the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), while also monitoring heart rate to prevent overexertion. Results of the study show that users had positive valence and high engagement towards the robot and were able to maintain their exercise performance throughout the study. Questionnaire results showed high robot acceptance for both types of interactions. However, users in the one-on-one sessions perceived the robot as more sociable and intelligent, and had more positive perception of the robot’s appearance and movements.

Biophilic Experience-Based Residential Hybrid Framework

There has been increasing academic interest in biophilic design in response to recent environmental and climate change issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic. However, discussions of the utilization of digital technology in providing universal access to nature, and opportunities to experience more diverse nature, are lacking. This study aimed to compare and analyze major theoretical systems for biophilic experiences in a residential environment, and to propose a hybrid framework that combines physical and digital design techniques for comparison and analysis. This paper discusses framework application strategies in line with scales of residential environments. Based on a systematic literature review, this study integrated and derived key elements of biophilic experience for a better quality of life in a modern residential environment and proposed a hybrid framework and strategy based on this. As a result, a hybrid framework of 15 integrated factors for three biophilic experiences was derived, and various strengths and potential opportunities were identified in terms of application depending on the scales. At the unit scale, it was found that the well-being and health of residents improved; at the building scale, the potential for sustainability was highlighted; at the complex scale, there was a contribution to higher residential competitiveness in multi-dimensional aspects. In particular, the biophilic experience-based hybrid framework in this study provided insights into addressing the weaknesses and threats discussed in the existing biophilic design.

Emotionale Reaktionen älterer Menschen gegenüber Sozial Assistiven Robotern

Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) beschreibt unterschiedliche emotionale Reaktionen älterer Personen auf in verschiedenen Settings eingesetzte Sozial Assistive Roboter (SAR). In Folge des demographischen Wandels gibt es zunehmend mehr Personen in hohem Lebensalter, welche zuhause oder in Institutionen Unterstützung benötigen. Der Einsatz von Robotern zur Unterstützung wird als eine Möglichkeit gesehen, den gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen zu begegnen. Gerade SAR werden zunehmend für ältere Personen erprobt und eingesetzt. Systematische Reviews zeigen das positive Potenzial von SAR auf ältere Menschen hinsichtlich (sozial-)psychologischer und physiologischer Parameter, gleichzeitig hat der Einsatz von SAR bei älteren Menschen eine intensive ethische Diskussion ausgelöst. Emotionen von Nutzenden gegenüber Robotern stehen dabei im Fokus, da diese einen wichtigen Aspekt der Akzeptanz und Wirkung darstellen. Dabei werden vor allem Fragen, die mit einer emotionalen Bindung an den Roboter zusammenhängen, kritisch diskutiert. Das Institut für Altersforschung (IAF) der Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (OST) hat im Rahmen von Feldtestungen mit unterschiedlichen SAR bei unterschiedlichen Personengruppen und Einsatzbereichen geforscht. Im Rahmen einer Sekundäranalyse wurden eine Bandbreite emotionaler Reaktionen bis hin zu Bindungen der verschiedenen Nutzergruppen registriert. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sozio-emotionale Bedürfnisse von Nutzenden durch den SAR gestillt werden können, und es zu Ablehnung kommen kann, wenn diesen nicht Rechnung getragen wird. Emotionale Bindungen sind jedoch differenziert zu betrachten, da der Einsatz von SAR, gerade bei vulnerablen Personen, trotz funktionaler Bindung auch neu induzierte negative Gefühle hervorrufen kann. Beim Einsatz von SAR in der Praxis es ist wichtig, alle Emotionen der Nutzenden gegenüber SAR frühzeitig zu erheben und im Hinblick auf mögliche unterwünschte Wirkungen wie (zu) starkem emotionalen Attachment zu beurteilen. Die dargestellten explorativen Studien ermöglichen es, exemplarische Einsatzfelder mit positivem Potential zu definieren, aber auch ethisch problematische Situationen zu beschreiben, um diese in Zukunft vermeiden zu können.

Interaction Matters: The Effect of Touching the Social Robot PARO on Pain and Stress is Stronger When Turned ON vs. OFF

Social touch between humans, as well as between humans and animals, was previously found to reduce pain and stress. We previously reported that touching a social robot can also induce a reduction in pain ratings. However, it is unclear if the effect that touching a robot has on pain perception is due to its appearance and its pleasant touch, or due to its ability to socially interact with humans. In the current experiment, we aimed to assess the contribution of the interactive quality to pain perception. We assessed the effect of touching the social robot PARO on mild and strong pain ratings and on stress perception, on a total of 60 healthy young participants. The robot either interacted with participants (ON group, n = 30) or was turned off (OFF group, n = 30). Touching the robot induced a decrease in mild pain ratings (compared to baseline) only in the ON group while strong pain ratings decreased similarly in both the ON and the OFF groups. The decrease in mild pain ratings in the ON group was significantly greater in participants with a higher positive perception of the interaction with PARO. We conclude that part of the effect that touching the robot has on pain stems from its interactive features.

Enabling Morally Sensitive Robotic Clarification Requests

The design of current natural language-oriented robot architectures enables certain architectural components to circumvent moral reasoning capabilities. One example of this is reflexive generation of clarification requests as soon as referential ambiguity is detected in a human utterance. As shown in previous research, this can lead robots to (1) miscommunicate their moral dispositions and (2) weaken human perception or application of moral norms within their current context. We present a solution to these problems by performing moral reasoning on each potential disambiguation of an ambiguous human utterance and responding accordingly, rather than immediately and naively requesting clarification. We implement our solution in the Distributed Integrated Cognition Affect and Reflection robot architecture, which, to our knowledge, is the only current robot architecture with both moral reasoning and clarification request generation capabilities. We then evaluate our method with a human subjects experiment, the results of which indicate that our approach successfully ameliorates the two identified concerns.

Artificial intelligence and Psychiatry: An overview

The burden of mental illness both in world and India is increasing at an alarming rate. Adding to it, there has been an increase in mental health challenges during covid-19 pandemic with a rise in suicide, loneliness and substance use. Artificial intelligence can act as a potential solution to address this shortage. The use of artificial intelligence is increasingly being employed in various fields of mental health like affective disorders, psychosis, and geriatric psychiatry. The benefits are various like lower costs, wider reach but at the same time it comes with its own disadvantages. This article reviews the current understanding of artificial intelligence, the types of Artificial intelligence, its current use in various mental health disorders, current status in India, advantages, disadvantages and future potentials. With the passage of time and digitalization of the modern age, there will be an increase in the use of artificial intelligence in psychiatry hence a detailed understanding will be thoughtful. For this, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, China national Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Globus Index Medicus search engines by using keywords. Initial searches involved the use of each individual keyword while the later searches involved the use of more than one word in different permutation combinations.

Examining attachment to robots: Benefits, challenges, and alternatives

Potential applications of robots in private and public human spaces have prompted the design of so-called “social robots” that can interact with humans in social settings and potentially cause humans to attach to the robots. The focus of this paper is an analysis of possible benefits and challenges arising from such human-robot attachment as reported in the HRI literature, followed by guidelines for the use and the design of robots that might elicit attachment bonds. We start by analyzing the potential benefits for humans becoming attached to robots, which might include increased natural interaction, effectiveness and acceptance of the robot, social companionship, and well-being for the human. Turning to the potential risks associated with human-robot attachment, we discuss the possibly suboptimal use of the robot in the most benign cases, but also the potential formation of unidirectional emotional bonds, and the potential for deception and subconscious influence of the robot on the person in more severe cases. The upshot of the analysis then is a recommendation to reconceptualize relationships with social robots in an attempt to retain potential benefits of human-robot attachment, while mitigating (to the extent possible) its downsides.

Decision-makers’ attitudes toward the use of care robots in welfare services

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of decision-makers toward the use of care robots in welfare services. We investigated their knowledge regarding the use of care robots in welfare services as well as their attitudes toward using robots in their own care and in the care of various user groups, for example, children, youths, and older people. We conducted an online survey with a range of Finnish decision-makers as respondents (N = 176). The respondents were divided into two groups: service actors (n = 104) and research and development (R&D) actors (n = 72). The respondents did not regard themselves as having much knowledge about robotics; however, the results showed that the R&D actors had more overall knowledge of the use of robots than the service actors. The R&D actors were found to be more willing to accept a robot as part of their own care as well as part of the care for various user groups. The contribution of this study is a better understanding of the views of the decision-makers who are or will be in charge of the acquisition of technological devices in welfare services.

Non-pharmacological interventions for pain in people with dementia: A systematic review

CONTEXT

Pain commonly occurs in people living with dementia but is often undertreated. Non-pharmacological interventions are a safer first-line option for pain management, but evidence-based interventions for people living with dementia have not been established. An increasing number of studies have examined the effect of non-pharmacological interventions in pain management. However, the evidence that specifically focuses on people living with dementia has not been systematically reviewed.

OBJECTIVES

This review aimed to systematically synthesize current evidence on non-pharmacological interventions to manage pain in people living with dementia.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Studies were included if they were 1) peer-reviewed original quantitative research, 2) tested the effect of non-pharmacological interventions on pain in people with dementia, and 3) English language. Studies were excluded if they 1) included both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and did not report separate results for the non-pharmacological interventions; 2) enrolled participants with and without dementia and did not have separate results reported for individuals with dementia; 3) tested dietary supplements as the intervention; and 4) were not original research, such as reviews, editorials, commentaries, or case studies. Title, abstract, and full text were screened. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and Johns Hopkins Level of Evidence. Pain assessment tools, participant characteristics, study designs, intervention condition, and results were extracted. Results were synthesized through grouping the type of the interventions and weighting evidence based on quality and design of the studies.

RESULTS

A total of 11 articles and 12 interventions were identified. A total of 486 participants were included. Interventions that have shown a positive impact on pain include ear acupressure, music therapy, reflexology, tailored pain intervention, painting and singing, personal assistive robot, cognitive-behavioral therapy, play activity, and person-centered environment program. Nevertheless, a majority of the interventions were only evaluated once. Moreover, most studies had similar sample characteristics and setting.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the quality of included studies were mostly low to mixed quality and most participants only had mild to moderate baseline pain, which limits detection of the intervention's effect. Hence, these findings need to be duplicated in studies with a greater sample size, a more diverse population (race, gender, and settings), and a more rigorous design to validate the results.

Personal Narratives in Technology Design: The Value of Sharing Older Adults' Stories in the Design of Social Robots

The storytelling lens in human-computer interaction has primarily focused on personas, design fiction, and other stories crafted by designers, yet informal personal narratives from everyday people have not been considered meaningful data, such as storytelling from older adults. Storytelling may provide a clear path to conceptualize how technologies such as social robots can support the lives of older or disabled individuals. To explore this, we engaged 28 older adults in a year-long co-design process, examining informal stories told by older adults as a means of generating and expressing technology ideas and needs. This paper presents an analysis of participants' stories around their prior experience with technology, stories shaped by social context, and speculative scenarios for the future of social robots. From this analysis, we present suggestions for social robot design, considerations of older adults' values around technology design, and promotion of participant stories as sources for design knowledge and shifting perspectives of older adults and technology.

Socially Assistive Robots Helping Older Adults through the Pandemic and Life after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has critically impacted the health and safety of the population of the world, especially the health and well-being of older adults. Socially assistive robots (SARs) have been used to help to mitigate the effects of the pandemic including loneliness and isolation, and to alleviate the workload of both formal and informal caregivers. This paper presents the first extensive survey and discussion on just how socially assistive robots have specifically helped this population, as well as the overall impact on health and the acceptance of such robots during the pandemic. The goal of this review is to answer research questions with respect to which SARs were used during the pandemic and what specific tasks they were used for, and what the enablers and barriers were to the implementation of SARs during the pandemic. We will also discuss lessons learned from their use to inform future SAR design and applications, and increase their usefulness and adoption in a post-pandemic world. More research is still needed to investigate and appreciate the user experience of older adults with SARs during the pandemic, and we aim to provide a roadmap for researchers and stakeholders.

A Pattern Approach to Comprehensible and Pleasant Human–Robot Interaction

HRI designers are faced with the task of creating robots that are easy and pleasant to use for the users. The growing body of research in human–robot interaction (HRI) is still mainly focused on technical aspects of the interaction. It lacks defined guidelines that describe how behavioral expressions for social robots need to be designed to promote high usability and positive user experience. To achieve this goal, we propose to apply the concept of design patterns to HRI. We present a design process that provides step-by-step guidance and methods for HRI designers to generate high quality behavioral patterns for social robots that can be used for different robots and use cases. To document the resulting patterns, we developed a documentation format that provides a clear, standardized structure to note down all relevant aspects of a pattern so that others can understand its design recommendations and apply them to their own robot and use cases. In the present paper, we demonstrate our pattern approach based on an example and describe how we arrived at a pattern language of 40 behavioral patterns that found the basis for future social robot design and related research activities.

Robot Pets as "Serious Toys"- Activating Social and Emotional Experiences of Elderly People

When robots are used as part of meaningful play, for example to enhance wellbeing, they can be considered "serious toys". Our study examines the potential of robotic pet toys viewed as companions, which activate social and emotional experiences of the elderly by increasing their wellbeing. In order to study the benefits of using Golden Pup, a commercial robot dog, we designed and performed a research intervention at a senior day activity center with 10 participants of ages 65-80+ years who were joined by a playful group of preschoolers. In this study, we were mainly interested in the firsthand user experiences.This study suggests how robotic pets can be used to activate the social and emotional experiences of elderly, and illustrated the role of building a relationship with a robotic pet. We present novel results on how a robot dog with a natural interface (NUI) may be used to evoke social and emotional experiences in older adults as part of playful, intergenerational group activities.

Can a humanoid social robot stimulate the interactivity of cognitively impaired elderly? A thorough study based on computer vision methods

Social Assistive Robotics is increasingly being used in care settings to provide psychosocial support and interventions for the elderly with cognitive impairments. Most of these social robots have provided timely stimuli to the elderly at home and in care centres, including keeping them active and boosting their mood. However, previous investigations have registered shortcomings in these robots, particularly in their ability to satisfy an essential human need: the need for companionship. Reports show that the elderly tend to lose interests in these social robots after the initial excitement as the novelty wears out and the monotonous familiarity becomes all too familiar. This paper presents our research facilitating conversations between a social humanoid robot, Nadine, and cognitively impaired elderly at a nursing home. We analysed the effectiveness of human-humanoid interactions between our robot and 14 elderly over 29 sessions. We used both objective tools (based on computer vision methods) and subjective tools (based on observational scales) to evaluate the recorded videos. Our findings showed that our subjects engaged positively with Nadine, suggesting that their interaction with the robot could improve their well-being by compensating for some of their emotional, cognitive, and psychosocial deficiencies. We detected emotions associated with cognitively impaired elderly during these interactions. This study could help understand the expectations of the elderly and the current limitations of Social Assistive Robots. Our research is aligned with all the ethical recommendations by the NTU Institutional Review Board.

The Modality Card Deck: Co-Creating Multi-Modal Behavioral Expressions for Social Robots with Older Adults

Robots have been proposed as intelligent technology that can support the independent living and health of older adults. While significant advances are being made regarding hardware and intelligent software to support autonomous actions of robots, less emphasis has been put on designing robot behavior that is comprehensible and pleasant for older adults. However, good usability and user experience are crucial factors for acceptance and long-term use. One way to actively engage older adults in behavioral design for social robots is participatory design. The Modality Card Deck is proposed, a tool that helps to engage older adults in human-robot interaction design process and participate in design decision for robot behavior. The cards guide the users towards creating ideas for design solutions which are detailed enough to be implemented by interaction designers and software developers. This paper provides a detailed description of the Modality Card Deck and presents an evaluation of the tool in the scope of a case study. In the case study, the card deck was used in participatory design workshops with older adults to develop multi-modal robot behaviors for the Pepper robot and a quiz game application. After describing the procedure of the case study, the workshop results and learnings about working with the Modality Card Deck and older adults are presented.

A Minimal Design of a Human Infant Presence: A Case Study Toward Interactive Doll Therapy for Older Adults With Dementia

We introduce a minimal design approach to manufacture an infant-like robot for interactive doll therapy that provides emotional interactions for older people with dementia. Our approach stimulates their imaginations and then facilitates positive engagement with the robot by just expressing the most basic elements of humanlike features. Based on this approach, we developed HIRO, a baby-sized robot with an abstract body representation and no facial features. The recorded voice of a real human infant emitted by robots enhances the robot’s human-likeness and facilitates positive interaction between older adults and the robot. Although we did not find any significant difference between HIRO and an infant-like robot with a smiling face, a field study showed that HIRO was accepted by older adults with dementia and facilitated positive interaction by stimulating their imagination. We also discuss the importance of a minimal design approach in elderly care during post–COVID-19 world.

Can I Feel Your Pain? The Biological and Socio-Cognitive Factors Shaping People’s Empathy with Social Robots

This paper discuss the phenomenon of empathy in social robotics and is divided into three main parts. Initially, I analyse whether it is correct to use this concept to study and describe people’s reactions to robots. I present arguments in favour of the position that people actually do empathise with robots. I also consider what circumstances shape human empathy with these entities. I propose that two basic classes of such factors be distinguished: biological and socio-cognitive. In my opinion, one of the most important among them is a sense of group membership with robots, as it modulates the empathic responses to representatives of our- and other- groups. The sense of group membership with robots may be co-shaped by socio-cognitive factors such as one’s experience, familiarity with the robot and its history, motivation, accepted ontology, stereotypes or language. Finally, I argue in favour of the formulation of a pragmatic and normative framework for manipulations in the level of empathy in human–robot interactions.

On Robot Compliance: A Cerebellar Control Approach

The work presented here is a novel biological approach for the compliant control of a robotic arm in real time (RT). We integrate a spiking cerebellar network at the core of a feedback control loop performing torque-driven control. The spiking cerebellar controller provides torque commands allowing for accurate and coordinated arm movements. To compute these output motor commands, the spiking cerebellar controller receives the robot's sensorial signals, the robot's goal behavior, and an instructive signal. These input signals are translated into a set of evolving spiking patterns representing univocally a specific system state at every point of time. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is then supported, allowing for building adaptive control. The spiking cerebellar controller continuously adapts the torque commands provided to the robot from experience as STDP is deployed. Adaptive torque commands, in turn, help the spiking cerebellar controller to cope with built-in elastic elements within the robot's actuators mimicking human muscles (inherently elastic). We propose a natural integration of a bioinspired control scheme, based on the cerebellum, with a compliant robot. We prove that our compliant approach outperforms the accuracy of the default factory-installed position control in a set of tasks used for addressing cerebellar motor behavior: controlling six degrees of freedom (DoF) in smooth movements, fast ballistic movements, and unstructured scenario compliant movements.

Effectiveness of Companion Robot Care for Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Objectives

Dementia and central nervous system degeneration are common problems in aging societies with regard to the number of people affected and total medical expenses. Socially assistive robotic technology has gradually matured; currently, most scholars believe it can be used as companions in long-term care facilities and to work as caregivers alongside staff to improve the social interaction and mental state of older adults and patients with dementia. Therefore, this study measured the effect of the duration of exposure to socially assistive robots in older adults with dementia.

Research Design and Methods

Seven databases were searched up to February 2019 through the consultation of appropriate Internet sites and the use of criteria lists recommended by relevant experts. Randomized controlled trials comparing socially assistive robot use with a control group in older adults with dementia and using at least one of the primary outcomes of agitation, depression, and quality of life were included.

Results

Thirteen randomized controlled trials were identified from 873 articles, 7 of which were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled effect estimate from 3 trials with 214 participants revealed that the pet-type robot improved patients’ agitation level, with a standardized mean difference of −0.37 (95% CI: −0.64 to −0.10, p < .01) and no heterogeneity (I² = 0%). The results also revealed that length of each session and pet-type robot exposure time per week were associated with reduced depression levels (β = −0.06, Q = 21.213, df = 1, p < .001 and β = −0.019, Q = 7.532, df = 1, p < .01, respectively). However, the results for quality of life were nonsignificant.

Discussion and Implications

Pet-type robot systems seem to be a potential activity in long-term care facilities for dementia care. Further research is warranted to establish a comprehensive intervention plan related to the use of pet-type robots.

Robotic Pet Use Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objective

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of robotic pets in alleviating loneliness for older adults.

Method

Self-reported lonely individuals with AARP Medicare Supplement plans insured by UnitedHealthcare who participated in a program with a robotic pet (n = 20) were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to provide feedback about their experiences interacting with a robotic pet, their perceptions about the potential impact on loneliness, and recommendations for improving the program. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants’ responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Constant comparison and consensus-gaining processes were used to develop categories that later formed representative themes.

Results

Seven themes emerged from analysis: Openness to Adoption of Robotic Pet, Reactions to Pet and its Attributes, Integration of Pet in Daily Life, Strategic Utilization and Forging New Connections, Deriving Comfort and Camaraderie, Advice for Future Users, and Recommendations for Enhancing Ownership Experience. Participants living alone, with fewer social connections and less active lifestyles, derived the most benefit from interacting with their pets. Common responses to pets included cuddling, petting, grooming, and sleeping with them. Some shared or loaned their pets, while others refused to loan their pets to interested peers. Most reported showing their pets to others, which helped some facilitate communication and social connections.

Conclusion

Robotic pets may be an effective solution for alleviating loneliness in older adults, especially among those who live alone, have fewer social connections, and live less active lifestyles.

Feasibility Study on the Role of Personality, Emotion, and Engagement in Socially Assistive Robotics: A Cognitive Assessment Scenario

This study aims to investigate the role of several aspects that may influence human–robot interaction in assistive scenarios. Among all, we focused on semi-permanent qualities (i.e., personality and cognitive state) and temporal traits (i.e., emotion and engagement) of the user profile. To this end, we organized an experimental session with 11 elderly users who performed a cognitive assessment with the non-humanoid ASTRO robot. ASTRO robot administered the Mini Mental State Examination test in Wizard of Oz setup. Temporal and long-term qualities of each user profile were assessed by self-report questionnaires and by behavioral features extrapolated by the recorded videos. Results highlighted that the quality of the interaction did not depend on the cognitive state of the participants. On the contrary, the cognitive assessment with the robot significantly reduced the anxiety of the users, by enhancing the trust in the robotic entity. It suggests that the personality and the affect traits of the interacting user have a fundamental influence on the quality of the interaction, also in the socially assistive context.

R, D. D. A survey of assistive robots and systems for elderly care

Purpose

The rousing phenomenon of the ageing population is becoming a vital issue and demanding fulminant actions. Population ageing is a resultant of the enhanced health-care system, groovy antibiotics, medications and economic well-being. Old age leads to copious amounts of ailments. Aged people, owing to their reduced mobility and enervating disabilities, tend to rely upon caretakers and/or nursing personnel. With the increasing vogue of nuclear families in the society, the elderly are at the risk of being unveiled to emotional, physical and fiscal insecurities in the years to come. Caring for those seniors will be an enormous undertaking.

Design/methodology/approach

There is a dire need for an intelligent assistive system to meet out the requirements of continuous holistic care and monitoring. Assistive robots and systems used for elderly care are studied. The design motivation for the robots, elderly–robot interaction capabilities and technology incorporated in the systems are examined meticulously.

Findings

From the survey, it is suggested that the subsystems of an assistive robot revamped for better human–machine interactions will be a potential alternative to the human counterpart. Affirmable advancements in the robot design and interaction methodologies that would increase the holistic care and assistance for aged people are analyzed and listed.

Originality/value

This paper reviews the available assistive technologies and suggests a synergistic model that can be adopted for the caring of the elderly.

Robotic Telemedicine for Mental Health: A Multimodal Approach to Improve Human-Robot Engagement

COVID-19 has severely impacted mental health in vulnerable demographics, in particular older adults, who face unprecedented isolation. Consequences, while globally severe, are acutely pronounced in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) confronting pronounced gaps in resources and clinician accessibility. Social robots are well-recognized for their potential to support mental health, yet user compliance (i.e., trust) demands seamless affective human-robot interactions; natural 'human-like' conversations are required in simple, inexpensive, deployable platforms. We present the design, development, and pilot testing of a multimodal robotic framework fusing verbal (contextual speech) and nonverbal (facial expressions) social cues, aimed to improve engagement in human-robot interaction and ultimately facilitate mental health telemedicine during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. We report the design optimization of a hybrid face robot, which combines digital facial expressions based on mathematical affect space mapping with static 3D facial features. We further introduce a contextual virtual assistant with integrated cloud-based AI coupled to the robot's facial representation of emotions, such that the robot adapts its emotional response to users' speech in real-time. Experiments with healthy participants demonstrate emotion recognition exceeding 90% for happy, tired, sad, angry, surprised and stern/disgusted robotic emotions. When separated, stern and disgusted are occasionally transposed (70%+ accuracy overall) but are easily distinguishable from other emotions. A qualitative user experience analysis indicates overall enthusiastic and engaging reception to human-robot multimodal interaction with the new framework. The robot has been modified to enable clinical telemedicine for cognitive engagement with older adults and people with dementia (PwD) in LMICs. The mechanically simple and low-cost social robot has been deployed in pilot tests to support older individuals and PwD at the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in Chennai, India. A procedure for deployment addressing challenges in cultural acceptance, end-user acclimatization and resource allocation is further introduced. Results indicate strong promise to stimulate human-robot psychosocial interaction through the hybrid-face robotic system. Future work is targeting deployment for telemedicine to mitigate the mental health impact of COVID-19 on older adults and PwD in both LMICs and higher income regions.

Trends and Effectiveness of ICT Interventions for the Elderly to Reduce Loneliness: A Systematic Review

Elderly people are sensitive to loneliness, which may contribute to mental and physical health, serious illness, and increased mortality. This study investigates the development trend of information communication technology (ICT) interventions designed for the elderly to reduce loneliness and synthesize its effect. We searched relevant articles on 23 May 2020 using three databases: Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. Data extraction and quality assessment were independently performed by two authors. The development is changing from animal robots to online social platforms and from simple emotional support to a multifaceted system that promotes social participation, cognition, physical activity, and nutrition. Our systematic review reported that ICT interventions are being developed to alleviate loneliness and increase social participation. Our study revealed an increase in the use of ICT interventions among the elderly and a positive change in their attitude toward ICT interventions. ICT interventions in the field of nursing should continue to be developed in the future to meet social, health, and safety needs. In the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), ICT interventions are needed to respond effectively to the needs of the elderly. This study is expected to provide basic knowledge for the development of ICT interventions for the elderly.

Children conform, adults resist: A robot group induced peer pressure on normative social conformity

People are known to change their behavior and decisions to conform to others, even for obviously incorrect facts. Because of recent developments in artificial intelligence and robotics, robots are increasingly found in human environments, and there, they form a novel social presence. It is as yet unclear whether and to what extent these social robots are able to exert pressure similar to human peers. This study used the Asch paradigm, which shows how participants conform to others while performing a visual judgment task. We first replicated the finding that adults are influenced by their peers but showed that they resist social pressure from a group of small humanoid robots. Next, we repeated the study with 7- to 9-year-old children and showed that children conform to the robots. This raises opportunities as well as concerns for the use of social robots with young and vulnerable cross-sections of society; although conforming can be beneficial, the potential for misuse and the potential impact of erroneous performance cannot be ignored.

Can robots tackle late-life loneliness? Scanning of future opportunities and challenges in assisted living facilities

This future-oriented study examines the opportunities and challenges offered by social robots and communication technology when aiming to decrease emotional and social loneliness in older people residing in assisted living (AL). The paper draws on prior literature on loneliness, elder care and social robots. The aim is to scan the futures regarding technology support for the frail older people in future AL. The analytical frame was built on Robert Weiss' division of relational functions: attachment, social integration, opportunity for nurturance, reassurance of worth, sense of reliable alliance, and guidance in stressful situations, and on a distinction between direct and indirect social robots. Our examinations show that social robots could tackle both emotional and social loneliness in assisted living by empowering people to engage in different forms of social interaction inside and outside the facility. However, ethical concerns of objectification, lack of human contact, and deception need to be thoroughly considered when implementing social robots in care for frail older people.

The Perceptions of People with Dementia and Key Stakeholders Regarding the Use and Impact of the Social Robot MARIO

People with dementia often experience loneliness and social isolation. This can result in increased cognitive decline which, in turn, has a negative impact on quality of life. This paper explores the use of the social robot, MARIO, with older people living with dementia as a way of addressing these issues. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to explore the perceptions and experiences of the use and impact of MARIO. The research took place in the UK, Italy and Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were held in each location with people with dementia (n = 38), relatives/carers (n = 28), formal carers (n = 28) and managers (n = 13). The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed that despite challenges in relation to voice recognition and the practicalities of conducting research involving robots in real-life settings, most participants were positive about MARIO. Through the robot's user-led design and personalized applications, MARIO provided a point of interest, social activities, and cognitive engagement increased. However, some formal carers and managers voiced concern that robots might replace care staff.

The effect of PARO robotic seals for hospitalized patients with dementia: A feasibility study

Robotic seals have been studied in long-term care settings; though, no studies of patients with dementia in the acute care setting have been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of PARO interventions for hospitalized patients with dementia, determine physiological effects and describe social-affective interactions. Using a prospective descriptive design with pre-post PARO intervention physiological measurements, we studied 55 participants who received up to five 15-min PARO interventions. The PARO was favorably accepted for 212 (95%) of the 223 PARO interventions. Differences in pre- and post-physiological measures for mean arterial pressure, pulse, respiration, oxygenation, stress, and pain levels were evaluated using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test with statistically significant pre and post differences (p=<0.05); however, the differences were not clinically significant. Participants (95%) demonstrated beneficial PARO interactions with the most frequent interactions being speaking and petting. The PARO shows promise for enhancing social and affective responses for hospitalized patients with dementia.

Our Robots, Our Team: Robot Anthropomorphism Moderates Group Effects in Human-Robot Teams

Past research indicates that people favor, and behave more morally toward, human ingroup than outgroup members. People showed a similar pattern for responses toward robots. However, participants favored ingroup humans more than ingroup robots. In this study, I examine if robot anthropomorphism can decrease differences between humans and robots on ingroup favoritism. This paper presents a 2 × 2 × 2 mixed-design experimental study with participants (N = 81) competing on teams of humans and robots. I examined how people morally behaved toward and perceived players depending on players’ Group Membership (ingroup, outgroup), Agent Type (human, robot), and Robot Anthropomorphism (anthropomorphic, mechanomorphic). Results replicated prior findings that participants favored the ingroup over the outgroup and humans over robots—to the extent that they favored ingroup robots over outgroup humans. This paper also includes novel results indicating that patterns of responses toward humans were more closely mirrored by anthropomorphic than mechanomorphic robots.

A Conversational Robot for Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease

Amid the rising cost of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), assistive health technologies can reduce care-giving burden by aiding in assessment, monitoring, and therapy. This article presents a pilot study testing the feasibility and effect of a conversational robot in a cognitive assessment task with older adults with AD. We examine the robot interactions through dialogue and miscommunication analysis, linguistic feature analysis, and the use of a qualitative analysis, in which we report key themes that were prevalent throughout the study. While conversations were typically better with human conversation partners (being longer, with greater engagement and less misunderstanding), we found that the robot was generally well liked by participants and that it was able to capture their interest in dialogue. Miscommunication due to issues of understanding and intelligibility did not seem to deter participants from their experience. Furthermore, in automatically extracting linguistic features, we examine how non-acoustic aspects of language change across participants with varying degrees of cognitive impairment, highlighting the robot’s potential as a monitoring tool. This pilot study is an exploration of how conversational robots can be used to support individuals with AD.

Age-Related Differences in Fixation Pattern on a Companion Robot

Recent studies have addressed the various benefits of companion robots and expanded the research scope to their design. However, the viewpoints of older adults have not been deeply investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the distinctive viewpoints of older adults by comparing them with those of younger adults. Thirty-one older and thirty-one younger adults participated in an eye-tracking experiment to investigate their impressions of a bear-like robot mockup. They also completed interviews and surveys to help us understand their viewpoints on the robot design. The gaze behaviors and the impressions of the two groups were significantly different. Older adults focused significantly more on the robot's face and paid little attention to the rest of the body. In contrast, the younger adults gazed at more body parts and viewed the robot in more detail than the older adults. Furthermore, the older adults rated physical attractiveness and social likeability of the robot significantly higher than the younger adults. The specific gaze behavior of the younger adults was linked to considerable negative feedback on the robot design. Based on these empirical findings, we recommend that impressions of older adults be considered when designing companion robots.

Touching the social robot PARO reduces pain perception and salivary oxytocin levels

Human-human social touch improves mood and alleviates pain. No studies have so far tested the effect of human-robot emotional touch on experimentally induced pain ratings, on mood and on oxytocin levels in healthy young adults. Here, we assessed the effect of touching the robot PARO on pain perception, on mood and on salivary oxytocin levels, in 83 young adults. We measured their perceived pain, happiness state, and salivary oxytocin. For the 63 participants in the PARO group, pain was assessed in three conditions: Baseline, Touch (touching PARO) and No-Touch (PARO present). The control group (20 participants) underwent the same measurements without ever encountering PARO. There was a decrease in pain ratings and in oxytocin levels and an increase in happiness ratings compared to baseline only in the PARO group. The Touch condition yielded a larger decrease in pain ratings compared to No-Touch. These effects correlated with the participants' positive perceptions of the interaction with PARO. Participants with higher perceived ability to communicate with PARO experienced a greater hypoalgesic effect when touching PARO. We show that human-robot social touch is effective in reducing pain ratings, improving mood and - surprisingly - reducing salivary oxytocin levels in adults.

Age-Related Differences in the Uncanny Valley Effect

BACKGROUND

Due to declining birthrates and an increasing aging population, shortage of the caregiving labor force has become a global issue. Among various efforts toward the solution, introducing robotic products for assistance could provide an effective way to help older adults in their daily lives. As previous studies have indicated that older adults' acceptance of robots is lower than that of younger adults, enhancing older adults' acceptance of robots is imperative. Because older adults' first impressions based on a robot's appearance might affect their acceptance of the robot, we investigated the uncanny valley effect (UVE) here. The UVE refers to the phenomenon that people rate robots more positively as robots become more humanlike, but only up to a certain point; as robots approach a near-perfect similarity to human appearance, likeability drops and forms the uncanny valley. Nevertheless, evidence for the UVE came mainly from younger adults.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to examine whether the UVE varies across different age groups and whether a robot's appearance would affect participants' acceptance of the robot's service or companionship.

METHODS

An online questionnaire study was conducted with 255 participants, including younger (n = 77, age 18-39 years), middle-aged (n = 87, age 40-59 years), and older (n = 91, age 60-87 years) adults. Participants were asked to view each picture in a set selected from a total of 83 robot pictures and evaluate their impressions of each robot and the intention of use regarding robot function as a service provider or a companion.

RESULTS

The UVE was found in younger and middle-aged adults; however, older adults did not show the UVE. Older adults preferred humanlike over non-humanlike robots, regardless of robot function.

CONCLUSION

The design of assistive robots should take the UVE into consideration by customizing robot appearance based on the age group of the intended user.

Technologically-enhanced psychological interventions for older adults: a scoping review

Background

The world population is getting older. As life expectancy increases, traditional health care systems are facing different challenges in terms of cost reduction and high-quality service delivery capability. New ways to improve older adults’ quality of life have been explored, taking advantage of new technological solutions. Our focus is on the integration of technology in clinical treatments to facilitate or deliver psychological interventions meant to improve well-being in older adults. Our aims were to describe the main technology-based interventions supporting seniors’ quality of life or psychological well-being and to provide greater clarity to what is described in the current literature as their effects on seniors’ cognitive and psychological outcomes and healthcare policies.

Methods

We reviewed the scientific literature looking for studies that investigated how technology can be implemented into clinical psychology treatments for older adults. Our search was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and CINAHL. The search provided 350 articles, mostly (≈90%) dated after 2002. Abstract analysis narrowed the selection to 150 papers, according to their relevance and actuality as judged by a restricted group of independent researchers.

Results

Through a thematic analysis, we found that virtual reality (VR), robots, telemedicine, software, video games, and smartphone applications could potentially support older adults’ psychological treatment with a positive impact on healthcare systems.

Conclusion

Findings from the literature are encouraging, although most of these results are only preliminary.

Assistive Robots for the Social Management of Health: A Framework for Robot Design and Human-Robot Interaction Research

There is a close connection between health and the quality of one's social life. Strong social bonds are essential for health and wellbeing, but often health conditions can detrimentally affect a person's ability to interact with others. This can become a vicious cycle resulting in further decline in health. For this reason, the social management of health is an important aspect of healthcare. We propose that socially assistive robots (SARs) could help people with health conditions maintain positive social lives by supporting them in social interactions. This paper makes three contributions, as detailed below. We develop a framework of social mediation functions that robots could perform, motivated by the special social needs that people with health conditions have. In this framework we identify five types of functions that SARs could perform: (a) changing how the person is perceived, (b) enhancing the social behavior of the person, (c) modifying the social behavior of others, (d) providing structure for interactions, and (e) changing how the person feels. We thematically organize and review the existing literature on robots supporting human-human interactions, in both clinical and non-clinical settings, and explain how the findings and design ideas from these studies can be applied to the functions identified in the framework. Finally, we point out and discuss challenges in designing SARs for supporting social interactions, and highlight opportunities for future robot design and HRI research on the mediator role of robots.

Immersive Experience Model of the Elderly Welfare Centers Supporting Successful Aging

This study investigates the application of immersive experience services to leisure facilities for the successful aging of the elderly. In the past, the social image of the elderly was that of passive beings who needed care due to physical and cognitive decline associated with biological aging. However, the concept of “successful aging” actively highlighting the positive aspects of aging and trying to promote longer and healthier life has started to acquire importance in recent years. In this context, elderly welfare centers can be described as facilities that encourage learning, leisure, and social activities of the elderly with impaired physical and cognitive functions. The use of recent immersive experience technologies such as virtual reality and mixed reality (MR), in order to mitigate physical and spatial constraints and provide an immersion into the desired environment and situation, could contribute substantially to the health of the elderly. However, the application of immersive technologies is concentrated on the provision of entertainment, education, and medical facilities. The number of previous studies on the immersion experiences of the elderly is limited, and the connection between immersion experiences and various services and programs that promote successful aging at elderly welfare centers requires further research. This study analyzes the function and space of the elderly welfare centers for successful aging through the review of previous studies and classifies immersion technology categories based on the review of the relevant literature. The study analyzes the health benefits of immersive experience technologies and related products and services and proposes an immersive experience service model for the elderly welfare center. The results of the study could provide a valuable input for the spatial application of immersive experience technologies for successful aging in the future.