Conversational Affective Social Robots for Ageing and Dementia Support

Maria R Lima,Ferdinando Rodriguez Y Baena,Payam Barnaghi,Manish Gupta,David J Sharp,Ravi Vaidyanathan,Maitreyee Wairagkar

doi:10.1109/tcds.2021.3115228

Maria R Lima, Ferdinando Rodriguez Y Baena + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/tcds.2021.3115228

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Abstract

Socially assistive robots (SAR) hold significant potential to assist older adults and people with dementia in human engagement and clinical contexts by supporting mental health and independence at home. While SAR research has recently experienced prolific growth, long-term trust, clinical translation, and patient benefit remain immature. Affective human–robot interactions are unresolved and the deployment of robots with conversational abilities is fundamental for robustness and human–robot engagement. In this article, we review the state of the art within the past two decades, design trends, and current applications of conversational affective SAR for ageing and dementia support. A horizon scanning of AI voice technology for healthcare, including ubiquitous smart speakers, is further introduced to address current gaps inhibiting home use. We discuss the role of user-centered approaches in the design of voice systems, including the capacity to handle communication breakdowns for effective use by target populations. We summarize the state of development in interactions using speech and natural language processing, which forms a baseline for longitudinal health monitoring and cognitive assessment. Drawing from this foundation, we identify open challenges and propose future directions to advance conversational affective social robots for: 1) user engagement; 2) deployment in real-world settings; and 3) clinical translation.

Highlights

WITH an ageing population set to double by 2050 worldwide, and the number of people living with dementia expected to reach 152 million tripling today’s figures [1], the global socioeconomic burden and strain on healthcare systems is only expected to become more critical with time
This review aims to fill said gap by surveying conversational affective social robots targeted at supporting ageing and dementia, in both social and clinical scenarios
We suggest the following areas in need of further studies in the field of conversational social robots and broader AI voice technology for mental health and dementia care (Fig. 6):

Summary

Introduction

WITH an ageing population set to double by 2050 worldwide, and the number of people living with dementia expected to reach 152 million tripling today’s figures [1], the global socioeconomic burden and strain on healthcare systems is only expected to become more critical with time. Global care costs of dementia are projected to exceed $2 trillion/annum by 2030, demanding 40 million new care workers, which could overwhelm medical and social care systems as they stand today [3]. This global health crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with vulnerable populations facing further limits in care, family support, isolation, and pronounced mental health decline [4, 5]; COVID-19 has caused unprecedented stress, fear and agitation among the seniors, especially those with cognitive impairment or dementia [6]. While the impact of these additional challenges will have long-lasting consequences well beyond the pandemic, they have triggered increased use of technological tools among older populations and opened new avenues for mental health telemedicine, including robotic solutions for humanrobot cognitive engagement [7, 8]

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