Improving the Flexibility of an Assistive Robot

The influence of a socially assistive robot on mood, anxiety, and arousal in children.

Professional Psychology Research and Practice ◽

10.1037/pro0000177 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 48-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Molly K. Crossman ◽

Alan E. Kazdin ◽

Elizabeth R. Kitt

Keyword(s):

Assistive Robot ◽

Socially Assistive Robot

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Usability Testing for the Operation of a Mobile Robotic Telepresence System by Older Adults

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181320641284 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 1191-1195

Author(s):

Samuel Olatunji ◽

Andre Potenza ◽

Tal Oron-Gilad ◽

Andrey Kiselev ◽

Amy Loutfi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Usability Testing ◽

Small Sample ◽

Developmental Factors ◽

Assistive Robot ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Autonomous Mode ◽

Levels Of Automation ◽

Local User

Mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) systems feature a video conferencing interface on a mobile robot, enabling pilot users to remotely control the robot while communicating with a local user. For older adults in an assisted living facility, the operators are mostly caregivers or remote family members. This small-sample usability testing aimed to evaluate the use of MRP by the older adult. Participants navigated the robot to locations in the home, e.g., to check if the front-door is closed. Two levels of automation were introduced; assisted teleoperation and autonomous. Observations revealed that the older adults enjoyed the dexterity with which the robot could be teleoperated in the assisted teleoperation mode. Yet, they preferred the operation of the MRP at the autonomous mode where the robot navigated autonomously towards the locations the user indicated. Usability, preference and objective findings raise awareness regarding elder care assistive robot developmental factors. Future experimental plans are discussed.

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The design of Lil’Flo, a socially assistive robot for upper extremity motor assessment and rehabilitation in the community via telepresence

Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering ◽

10.1177/20556683211001805 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 205566832110018

Author(s):

Michael J Sobrepera ◽

Vera G Lee ◽

Michelle J Johnson

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Motor Rehabilitation ◽

Rehabilitation Care ◽

Rehabilitation Professionals ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Assistive Robot ◽

Care Facilities ◽

The Rich ◽

Socially Assistive Robot ◽

Assistive Robotic

Introduction We present Lil’Flo, a socially assistive robotic telerehabilitation system for deployment in the community. As shortages in rehabilitation professionals increase, especially in rural areas, there is a growing need to deliver care in the communities where patients live, work, learn, and play. Traditional telepresence, while useful, fails to deliver the rich interactions and data needed for motor rehabilitation and assessment. Methods We designed Lil’Flo, targeted towards pediatric patients with cerebral palsy and brachial plexus injuries using results from prior usability studies. The system combines traditional telepresence and computer vision with a humanoid, who can play games with patients and guide them in a present and engaging way under the supervision of a remote clinician. We surveyed 13 rehabilitation clinicians in a virtual usability test to evaluate the system. Results The system is more portable, extensible, and cheaper than our prior iteration, with an expressive humanoid. The virtual usability testing shows that clinicians believe Lil’Flo could be deployed in rural and elder care facilities and is more capable of remote stretching, strength building, and motor assessments than traditional video only telepresence. Conclusions Lil’Flo represents a novel approach to delivering rehabilitation care in the community while maintaining the clinician-patient connection.

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A Low-Cost Assistive Robot for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders to Aid in Daily Living Activities

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18083974 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 3974

Author(s):

Roberto J. López-Sastre ◽

Marcos Baptista-Ríos ◽

Francisco Javier Acevedo-Rodríguez ◽

Soraya Pacheco-da-Costa ◽

Saturnino Maldonado-Bascón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

Low Cost ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Robotic Platform ◽

Assistive Robot ◽

Technical Details ◽

The Impact ◽

Near Future ◽

Everyday Living

In this paper, we present a new low-cost robotic platform that has been explicitly developed to increase children with neurodevelopmental disorders’ involvement in the environment during everyday living activities. In order to support the children and youth with both the sequencing and learning of everyday living tasks, our robotic platform incorporates a sophisticated online action detection module that is capable of monitoring the acts performed by users. We explain all the technical details that allow many applications to be introduced to support individuals with functional diversity. We present this work as a proof of concept, which will enable an assessment of the impact that the developed technology may have on the collective of children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders in the near future.

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