Investigating Design Elements of Companion Robots for Older Adults

Abstract Researchers have reported that companion robots have had positive effects on older adults with depression. However, there has been little quantitative analysis on the relationship between robot design and depression. To address this, we surveyed 191 older adults and investigated the impact of age, gender and depression level on design preferences for companion robots. We focused on toy-sized companion robots and evaluated three design elements: type, weight and material. The findings show that baby-type robots were the most preferred by older adults. They favoured the lightest weights and microfibre materials, regardless of the independent variables. Moreover, robot weight preferences varied significantly with the level of depression. Highly depressed older adults disliked heavy robots. These preliminary findings suggest that companion robots need to be designed with careful consideration of their physical characteristics and potential psychological effects.

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Pervasive game design to evaluate social interaction effects on levels of physical activity among older adults

Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering ◽

10.1177/2055668319844443 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 205566831984444 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Luciano HO Santos ◽

Kazuya Okamoto ◽

Shusuke Hiragi ◽

Goshiro Yamamoto ◽

Osamu Sugiyama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Elderly People ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Game Design ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Design Elements ◽

Visual Style ◽

Pervasive Game

Introduction Promoting active lifestyles among older adults can bring drastic benefits for their quality of life. The innovative mechanics of pervasive games – that mix real and virtual worlds – can further engage and motivate elderly people into that goal. Using social interaction as a study case, we designed and evaluated the feasibility of a pervasive game to investigate how game design elements can affect the levels of physical activity of older adults. Methods A mobile, location-based pervasive game was developed, and a study with community dwelling elderly volunteers from Kyoto, Japan was performed to evaluate its feasibility as an experiment system. Results Participants reported that the theme and visual style of the game was adequate, and that game rules and goals could be easily understood. The game was considered enjoyably challenging and engaging. Further analysis showed that next iterations of the system must pay special attention to the level of complexity of controls, and that new ways to connect players when there are few people playing or when they are too far apart are necessary. Conclusions The design allowed to test for variations on pervasive mechanics and was effective to engage elderly people, encouraging further investigation.

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Age-Related Differences in Fixation Pattern on a Companion Robot

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20133807 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (13) ◽

pp. 3807

Author(s):

Young Hoon Oh ◽

Da Young Ju

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Physical Attractiveness ◽

The Body ◽

Robot Design ◽

Body Parts ◽

Gaze Behavior ◽

Younger Adults ◽

The Gaze ◽

Age Related ◽

Companion Robots

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.

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Prioritising Design Features for Companion Robots Aimed at Older Adults: Stakeholder Survey Ranking Results

10.1007/978-3-030-90525-5_70 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 774-779

Author(s):

Hannah Bradwell ◽

Rhona Winnington ◽

Serge Thill ◽

Ray B. Jones

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Design Features ◽

Companion Robots

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Benefits and Barriers to Emerging Technologies to Promote Health, Well-Being, and Independence of Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1022 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 266-266

Author(s):

Walter Boot

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Detailed Analysis ◽

Emerging Technologies ◽

Well Being ◽

Meaningful Change ◽

Privacy Concerns ◽

Before And After ◽

Assistant Systems ◽

Companion Robots

Abstract Emerging technologies, such as voice assistant systems and artificial companion robots, hold a great deal of promise for improving the health, wellbeing, and independence of older adults. However, these solutions will likely be ineffective in the absence of research to understand barriers to the adoption and use of these technologies and without an exploration of the needs and preferences of older adults. This symposium focuses on both the potential of such technologies and factors that may affect their success. H. Spangler will present a detailed analysis of privacy concerns of older adults, with and without cognitive impairment, related to the use of Voice Assistant Systems (VAS). R. Nicholson will discuss the potential of a VAS app for promoting exercise among older adults and their caregivers to enhance mobility independence, with a focus on perceived benefits and dislikes about the app that may impact use. Finally, C. Berridge will present an exploration of perceptions of and attitudes toward artificial companion (AC) robots across the lifespan, before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including concerns about privacy. Together, these talks will highlight novel methods through which emerging technologies can support older adults and issues to consider if these methods are to produce meaningful change.

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Promoting Physical Activity in Japanese Older Adults Using a Social Pervasive Game: Randomized Controlled Trial

JMIR Serious Games ◽

10.2196/16458 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. e16458

Author(s):

Luciano Henrique De Oliveira Santos ◽

Kazuya Okamoto ◽

Ryo Otsuki ◽

Shusuke Hiragi ◽

Goshiro Yamamoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Pervasive Games ◽

Design Elements ◽

Play Activity ◽

The Social ◽

Proportional Change ◽

Pervasive Game ◽

Baseline Values

Background Pervasive games aim to create more fun and engaging experiences by mixing elements from the real world into the game world. Because they intermingle with players’ lives and naturally promote more casual gameplay, they could be a powerful strategy to stimulate physical activity among older adults. However, to use these games more effectively, it is necessary to understand how design elements of the game affect player behavior. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate how the presence of a specific design element, namely social interaction, would affect levels of physical activity. Methods Participants were recruited offline and randomly assigned to control and intervention groups in a single-blind design. Over 4 weeks, two variations of the same pervasive game were compared: with social interaction (intervention group) and with no social interaction (control group). In both versions, players had to walk to physical locations and collect virtual cards, but the social interaction version allowed people to collaborate to obtain more cards. Changes in the weekly step counts were used to evaluate the effect on each group, and the number of places visited was used as an indicator of play activity. Results A total of 20 participants were recruited (no social interaction group, n=10; social interaction group, n=10); 18 participants remained active until the end of the study (no social interaction group, n=9; social interaction group, n=9). Step counts during the first week were used as the baseline level of physical activity (no social interaction group: mean 46,697.2, SE 7905.4; social interaction group: mean 45,967.3, SE 8260.7). For the subsequent weeks, changes to individual baseline values (absolute/proportional) for the no social interaction group were as follows: 1583.3 (SE 3108.3)/4.6% (SE 7.2%) (week 2), 591.5 (SE 2414.5)/2.4% (SE 4.7%) (week 3), and −1041.8 (SE 1992.7)/0.6% (SE 4.4%) (week 4). For the social interaction group, changes to individual baseline values were as follows: 11520.0 (SE 3941.5)/28.0% (SE 8.7%) (week 2), 9567.3 (SE 2631.5)/23.0% (SE 5.1%) (week 3), and 7648.7 (SE 3900.9)/13.9% (SE 8.0%) (week 4). The result of the analysis of the group effect was significant (absolute change: η2=0.31, P=.04; proportional change: η2=0.30, P=.03). Correlations between both absolute and proportional change and the play activity were significant (absolute change: r=0.59, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.77; proportional change: r=0.39, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.64). Conclusions The presence of social interaction design elements in pervasive games appears to have a positive effect on levels of physical activity. Trial Registration Japan Medical Association Clinical Trial Registration Number JMA-IIA00314; https://tinyurl.com/y5nh6ylr (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/761a6MVAy)

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Creating Inclusive Advance Care Planning Tools

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2720 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 754-755

Author(s):

Robert Beringer ◽

Gloria Gutman ◽

Brian de Vries ◽

Helen Kwan ◽

Katrina Jang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

South Asian ◽

Care Home ◽

Educational Materials ◽

Loved One ◽

Design Elements ◽

Advance Care ◽

Level Of Understanding

Abstract The cultural appropriateness of two ACP tools, My Wishes, My Care, and Conversation Starter Kit, are examined. In development by the BC Centre for Palliative Care, My Wishes, My Care was reviewed with: LGBT Non-Metropolitan Older Adults (6 focus groups, N=32); English/Chinese Speaking Older Adults (1 focus group, N=9); and English/Punjabi or Hindi Speaking South Asian Older Adults (1 focus group, N=5). The Conversation Starter Kit, developed by Ariadne Labs, was reviewed with focus groups of people whose loved one was/is in a Care Home: one LGBT group (N = 5); one South Asian group (N = 5). General feedback on both tools included: concerns over level of understanding required to use the tool; the role of family in ACP planning; cultural inclusivity (e.g., images and text) and design elements. The feedback will inform revision of these tools and assist organizations in developing inclusive ACP planning guides or educational materials.

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Exploring Application of Smart Companion Robots to Facilitate Faith-Based Ministries for Older Homebound Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 315-316

Author(s):

Christianah Adebayo ◽

Alex Bishop

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Pastoral Counseling ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Community Inclusion ◽

Related Services ◽

Faith Based ◽

Homebound Older Adults ◽

Companion Robots ◽

Robot Companions

Abstract This study examined perceptions regarding application of smart robot companions to facilitate homebound religious ministry programming to older adults. A total of N= 7 participants consisting of ministers, pastoral volunteers, and older adult members from Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic traditions engaged in a 60-minute focus group. One key goal was to address the question: If you could design a robot for ministry to homebound older adults what would you want it to do? All responses were recorded, transcribed and coded for thematic content. Three core themes emerged relative to spiritual privacy, prospective intervention, and inclusive monitoring. Relative to spiritual privacy, participants expressed concern regarding robotic ability to maintain the spiritual privacy of the older homebound adult, especially when engaged in faith-based behaviors such as private prayer, confession, and pastoral counseling. Second, participants suggested that a robot companion serve as a memory aide for older homebound members. In particular, participants acknowledged a need for robot intervention relative to sending alerts concerning prayer requests, reminders of upcoming church-related events, and notices concerning future homebound ministry visitations. Finally, participants indicated an interest for the robot to actively monitor community inclusion, noting that many older homebound adults are left out of weekly church-related services or events and experience seclusion, yet most “retain a desire be included and remain an integral part of their faith community.” Results will be used to present a conceptual model for a smart robotic faith assistant designed for delivery of homebound ministries to older adults.

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