Playfulness and disruptions: using pet robots in everyday life in a nursing home for people with dementia

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the human dimension of social robots by discussing both transnational features and national peculiarities. Addressing several issues that explore the human side of social robots, this book investigateswhat a social robot is and how we might come to think about social robots in the different areas of everyday life. Organized around three sections that deal with Perceptions and Attitudes to Social Robots, Human Interaction with Social Robots, and Social Robots in Everyday Life, it explores the idea that even if the challenges of robot technologies can be overcome from a technological perspective, the question remains as to what kind of machine we want to have and use in our daily lives. Lessons learned from previous widely adopted technologies, such as smartphones, indicate that robot technologies could potentially be absorbed into the everyday lives of humans in such a way that it is the human that determines the human-machine interaction. In a similar way to how todays information and communication technologies were initially designed for professional/industrial use, but were soon commercialized for the mass market and then personalized by humans in the course of daily practice, the use of social robots is now facing the same revolution of domestication. In the context of this transformation, which involves the profound embedding of robots in everyday life, the human aspect of social robots will play a major part. This book sheds new light on this highly topical issue, one of the central subjects that will be taught and studied at universities worldwide and that will be discussed widely, publicly and repeatedly in the near future.

BackgroundOlder adults and people with dementia are particularly vulnerable to social isolation. Social robots, including robotic pets, are promising technological interventions that can benefit the psychosocial health of older adults and people with dementia. However, issues such as high costs can lead to a lack of equal access and concerns about infection control. Although there are previous reviews on the use of robotic pets for older adults and people with dementia, none have included or had a focus on low-cost and familiarly and realistically designed pet robots.ObjectiveThe aim of this review is to synthesize evidence on the delivery and impact of low-cost, familiarly and realistically designed interactive robotic pets for older adults and people with dementia.MethodsThe Arksey and O’Malley framework was used to guide this review. First, the research question was identified. Second, searches were conducted on five electronic databases and Google Scholar. Studies were selected using a two-phase screening process, where two reviewers independently screened and extracted data using a standardized data extraction form. Finally, the results were discussed, categorized, and presented narratively.ResultsA total of 9 studies were included in the review. Positive impacts related to several psychosocial domains, including mood and affect, communication and social interaction, companionship, and other well-being outcomes. Issues and concerns associated with its use included misperceptions of the robotic pets as a live animal, ethical issues of attachment, negative reactions by users, and other pragmatic concerns such as hygiene and cost.ConclusionsOverall, the findings resonate with previous studies that investigated the effectiveness of other social robots, demonstrating the promise of these low-cost robotic pets in addressing the psychosocial needs of older adults and people with dementia. The affordability of these robotic pets appeared to influence the practicalities of real-world use, such as intervention delivery and infection control, which are especially relevant in light of COVID-19. Moving forward, studies should also consider comparing the effects of these low-cost robots with other robotic pets.

In this article, we explore how pet robots come into being in a Danish nursing home for people with dementia, based on five months of ethnographic fieldwork. We argue that the researcher and the robot become an assembled temporary figure in the nursing home: the woman with the dog. We show how pet robots are characterized by their fluidity and can go from being mechanical robots to living animals in a matter of seconds during interactions with nursing home residents. The social robots are fragile technologies that disappear and cease to be used if people in the nursing home stop caring for them. Through relationships, the pet robots come into being together with other actors in the nursing home – a process that requires tinkering (Mol, Moser, and Pols 2010) and flexibility from those working with the robots. We argue that the woman with the dog can develop caring relations with the residents, but although there are hopes that pet robots are one of the technologies that can save a welfare state and care system under pressure, this is not something that can be done by the pet robots alone. Rather, the robots need care and tinkering to become embedded in the nursing home.

In recent years new and innovative technologies have been introduced in many sectors, including the field of Education. Augmented Reality (AR) can be beneficial for students, facilitating learning. At the same time, the use of social robots as tutors seems to have positive outcomes in the educational process. In the present study, we examined the use of those technologies in teaching Geography to primary school students, comparing the learning outcomes with each technology. Two experimental and one control group were formed. The control group was taught Geography using a Powerpoint presentation and a human teacher. In one experimental group, AR technology was implemented, while in the other experimental group, social robot NAO acted as the tutor. Pre-tests, post-tests, delayed post-tests and observation sheets were used to collect the data. The results showed that there is no significant difference between the groups regarding students’ learning achievement. However, the implementations provided useful feedback regarding the utilization of AR and social robotics in the classroom. Future research will examine the simultaneous use of both AR and social robots in the classroom to study its applicability, characteristics and outcomes.

The impact of a PARO intervention on depression and well-being in older adults in long-term care in Taiwan

Nowadays it is widely accepted that information and communication technologies can open up new lines of support and enrich later life. But what about robots? In 1985, the book A Robot in Every Home by Mike Higgins was published. It provided an overview of the available first-generation personal robots such as Topo, Hero 1, RB5X, Hubot, Hero Jr., Turtle Tot, FED, Dingbot, Verbot, and Omnibot. Although they were restricted in use, Higgins took up the issue of whether “robots can be companions” and forecasted that pet robots would in the future provide companionship – without the constraints of a living animal or a human being. Robots may be suitable for people with all kinds of restrictions and disabilities (e.g., dementia): They never get tired, they never complain, they are “patient,” and they never take personal offense. In the meantime, these ideas have found their way into reality. For about 15 years, Paro, a cuddly therapeutic seal, has been tested in different pilot projects around the world and is now available internationally. Paro was designed for therapeutic purposes and is a good example of a social and emotional robot, defined as a technical system able to interact with human beings in such a way that these interactions can be regarded as “emotional.” Its main purpose is to be a companion, of course, though not exclusively, for people with cognitive impairments. Personal and service robotics is advancing quickly, and a variety of prototypes have already been tested in real-life settings. The abilities of these robots are far beyond those of Paro. Both types of robot have in common that people tend to deal with them as if they are real living “subjects.” On the other hand, these developments raise concerns and issues that need to be discussed from a scientific perspective. What empirical evidence is available that social and emotional robots do in fact enrich or facilitate daily life, as measured in terms of an outcome related to aging well, such as communication, social exchange, independence, or well-being? Is it ethical to use robots in the provision of care for the elderly? Do these devices really contribute to better care? Can they be regarded as providing a therapeutic intervention? Will they replace professional staff? What outcomes have been postulated, and how can the effects be measured? What will happen to caring processes and society if human interaction is replaced by human-robot interaction? These questions should be dealt with as soon as possible, particularly in view of today’s international discussions: China, for example, expects every second household to be equipped with social robots in the very near future (see the discussion at the International Conference of Social Robotics ICSR 2012 in Chengdu, China; Chen, 2012). The debate is necessary in order to participate in and shape robotic developments and their fields of application – especially when these are vulnerable groups. The present issue of GeroPsych sheds some light on these topics by giving an overview of ongoing research and discussions on emotional and social robotics. The first contribution on evidence and deploymentbased research into care for the elderly using socially assistive robots by Thorsten Kolling and colleagues presents a review of evaluation studies on Paro as well as an insight into their shortcomings, and develops ideas to overcome these. The experiences gathered to date with Paro as a therapeutic robot in nursing care homes in Denmark, Germany, and the UK are highlighted in the contribution of Barbara Klein and colleagues. Unlike Paro, Care-O-Bot looks like a robot and has many more functions and capabilities. Patrizia Marti and Jelle Stienstra have studied the extent to which interaction with this robot companion helps elderly people to live independently in their homes in Italy. The difficulties of developing an adequate research design for robot interventions in care homes specialized in psychogeriatric care are reflected in the contribution of Roger Bemelmans and colleagues. Dealing with robots evokes many ethical concerns, which are systematically analyzed in the contribution by Catrin Misselhorn and colleagues. GeroPsych, 26 (2), 2013, 81–82

BackgroundWorldwide, populations are aging exponentially. Older adults and people with dementia are especially at risk of social isolation and loneliness. Social robots, including robotic pets, have had positive impacts on older adults and people with dementia by providing companionship, improving mood, reducing agitation, and facilitating social interaction. Nevertheless, the issue of affordability can hinder technology access. The Joy for All (JfA) robotic pets have showed promise as examples of low-cost alternatives. However, there has been no research that investigated the usability and impact of such low-cost robotic pets based on perceptions and experiences of its use with older adults and people with dementia.ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to explore the usability and impact of the JfA robotic cat, as an example of a low-cost robot, based on perceptions and experiences of using the JfA cat for older adults and people with dementia.MethodsWe used a novel methodology of analyzing a large volume of information that was uploaded by reviewers of the JfA cat onto online consumer review sites. Data were collected from 15 consumer websites. This provided a total of 2445 reviews. Next, all reviews were screened. A total of 1327 reviews that contained information about use of the JfA cat for older adults or people with dementia were included for analysis. These were reviews that contained terms relating to “older adults,” “dementia,” and “institutional care” and were published in the English language. Descriptive statistics was used to characterize available demographic information, and textual data were qualitatively analyzed using inductive content analysis.ResultsMost reviews were derived from consumer sites in the United States, and most reviewers were family members of users (ie, older adults and people with dementia). Based on the qualitative content analysis, 5 key themes were generated: prior expectations, perceptions, meaningful activities, impacts, and practicalities. Reviewers had prior expectations of the JfA cat, which included circumstantial reasons that prompted them to purchase this technology. Their perceptions evolved after using the technology, where most reported positive perceptions about their appearance and interactivity. The use of the robot provided opportunities for users to care for it and incorporate it into their routine. Finally, reviewers also shared information about the impacts of device and practicalities related to its use.ConclusionsThis study provides useful knowledge about the usability and impact of a low-cost pet robot, based on experiences and perceptions of its use. These findings can help researchers, robot developers, and clinicians understand the viability of using low-cost robotic pets to benefit older adults and people with dementia. Future research should consider evaluating design preferences for robotic pets, and compare the effects of low-cost robotic pets with other more technologically advanced robotic pets.

Social robots should be able to automatically understand and respond to human touch. The meaning of touch does not only depend on the form of touch but also on the context in which the touch takes place. To gain more insight into the factors that are relevant to interpret the meaning of touch within a social context we elicited touch behaviors by letting participants interact with a robot pet companion in the context of different affective scenarios. In a contextualized lab setting participants (n= 31) acted as if they were coming home in different emotional states (i.e. stressed, depressed, relaxed and excited) without being given specific instructions on the kinds of behaviors that they should display. Based on video footage of the interactions and interviews we explored the use of touch behaviors, the expressed social messages and the expected robot pet responses. Results show that emotional state influenced the social messages that were communicated to the robot pet as well as the expected responses. Furthermore, it was found that multimodal cues were used to communicate with the robot pet, that is, participants often talked to the robot pet while touching it and making eye contact. Additionally, the findings of this study indicate that the categorization of touch behaviors into discrete touch gesture categories based on dictionary definitions is not a suitable approach to capture the complex nature of touch behaviors in less controlled settings. These findings can inform the design of a behavioral model for robot pet companions and future directions to interpret touch behaviors in less controlled settings are discussed.

Social robots equipped with conversational artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly common in educational settings. However, the long-term consequences of such uses remain relatively unknown due to their novelty. To ensure children's safe use of social robots, and proper adoption of the technology, it is crucial to scrutinize potential concerns regarding their usage. This exploration will provide insights to inform the design and development of this technology. Thus, this study investigated parents' and educators' perceptions of social robot use by children in the home and school settings. Our main objectives are to; 1) explore whether the types and/or levels of concern are tied to the role that individuals take (i.e., parents vs. educators); 2) explore if the levels of concern vary based on the gender and age of the potential child user; and 3) compile a catalogue of parents' and educators' concerns, both from the literature and those that are overlooked, surrounding children's use of SRs for learning. To address those inquiries, a cross-national online survey study was conducted with parents and educator participants (N = 396). Overall, participants indicated high levels of concern but recognized the potential in responsibly applying such technology for educational purposes.

The use of social robots has the potential to improve learning experiences in life skills for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). Current research in the context of social robots in education has largely focused on how children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) interact with social robots primarily without a tablet, with almost no research investigating how beneficial social robots can be in supporting learning for adults with IDs. This research explores how interactions with a social humanoid robot can contribute to learning for communities of adults with ID, and how adults with ID want to engage with these robots. This exploratory study involved observation and semi-structured interviews of eleven participants with ID (in three groups, supported by their support workers) receiving information from a semi-humanoid social robot and interacting with the robot via its tablet. Two robot applications were developed to deliver content based on the participating disability support organization’s life skills curriculum for healthy lifestyle choices and exercise, considering a variety of modalities (visual, embodied, audio). The study identified four ways in which participants interact, and our findings suggest that both the physical presence of the robot and the support of the tablet play a key role in engaging adults with ID. Observation of participant interactions both with the robot and with each other shows that part of the robot’s value in learning was as a facilitator of communication.

HintergrundSoziale Beziehungen sind bedeutsame Ressourcen für psychisches Wohlbefinden und physische Gesundheit. Im höheren Lebensalter treffen zunehmende Vulnerabilität und Funktionsverluste häufig auf reduzierte soziale Netzwerke. Mangelnde soziale Kontakte und fehlende Netzwerke bergen dabei psychische und physische Risiken für die Betroffenen, die durch den Einsatz sozialer Roboter möglicherweise abgemildert werden können.FragestellungWelche Potenziale und Herausforderungen ergeben sich für ältere Menschen aus ihrer Interaktion mit sozialen Robotern?Material und MethodenDie Forschungsfrage wird mittels eines „rapid review“ beantwortet. Eine systematische Literatursuche ergab 433 unikale Treffer, aus denen n = 11 Artikel in die Analysen eingingen.ErgebnissePotenziale sozialer Roboter bestehen in der Reduktion von Einsamkeit, Stärkung der (zwischenmenschlichen) Kommunikation und Stimmungsaufhellung bei gleichzeitiger Stressreduktion. Herausforderungen bestehen in der sozialen Einbettung der Roboter. Diese sei durch Aspekte wie Wohltätigkeit, Autonomie und Privatheit als Grundsätze zu gestalten, an denen sich Design und Einsatz von sozialen Robotern orientieren können, um einem Verlust von sozialen Beziehungen vorzubeugen.DiskussionDie Ergebnisse zeigen einen Korridor auf, der die potenzialausschöpfende Anwendung sozialer Roboter für ältere Menschen ermöglicht. Im Vordergrund steht die Analyse der Herausforderungen für den Einzelfall, da soziale Beziehungen älterer Menschen positiv sowie negativ beeinflusst werden können. Dabei orientieren sich die eingeschlossenen Artikel größtenteils am Setting Pflege. Forschung zum Einsatz sozialer Roboter bei nicht oder wenig funktionseingeschränkten Personen sollte die bestehende Literatur ergänzen.Zusatzmaterial onlineZusätzliche Informationen sind in der Online-Version dieses Artikels (10.1007/s00391-021-01932-5) enthalten.

Background: Social robots are currently a form of assistive technology for the elderly, healthy, or with cognitive impairment, helping to maintain their independence and improve their well-being. Objective: The main aim of this article is to present a review of the existing research in the literature, referring to the use of social robots for people with dementia and/or aging. Methods: Academic databases that were used to perform the searches are IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, taking into account as date of publication the last 10 years, from 2007 to the present. Several search criteria were established such as "robot" AND "dementia," "robot" AND "cognitive impairment," "robot" AND "social" AND "aging," and so on., selecting the articles of greatest interest regarding the use of social robots in elderly people with or without dementia. Results: This search found a total of 96 articles on social robots in healthy people and with dementia, of which 38 have been identified as relevant work. Many of the articles show the acceptance of older people toward social robots. Conclusion: From the review of the research articles analyzed, it can be said that use of social robots in elderly people without cognitive impairment and with dementia, help in a positive way to work independently in basic activities and mobility, provide security, and reduce stress.

Robots have been employed in the industrial sectors for over half a century; however, their appearance in the domestic sphere is a modern phenomenon, occurring in just the last decade. These so-called social robots are carrying out a variety of tasks traditionally carried out by humans, and in contexts in which they must interact with human beings. These kinds of social robots are now being used in the welfare services, providing assistive services and companionship for the infirm or elderly, and even children. Thus, the use of social robots in everyday life has triggered an animated debate about the acceptance of these devices by their end users. In this paper, multilevel analysis is applied using data from the Eurobarometer survey (sample size 27,901, covering 28 countries) to investigate how socio-demographic characteristics and country-level indicators of technological and economic development (the rate of high-technology manufactured exports, the cellular phone subscriptions rate and GDP) influence how robots are accepted in the realm of the social services. The results show that only individual (socio-demographic) and technology acceptance model (TAM) factors influence attitudes towards social robots. The effects of the contextual variables considered were not statistically strong enough to explain the attitudes towards social robots for social services.

The tourism sector has been one of the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to restrictions on mobility and fear of social contact. In this context, business innovation through digital transformation is presented as a great opportunity for the tourism industry and the inclusion of social robots in service tasks is an example. This transformation requires new methodologies, skills and talent that must be promoted to improve the innovative tourism ecosystem. With this research, we try to determine how the inclusion of social or service robots in hotels can improve the image and perception held by clients or guests. For that, we first analyse the degree of knowledge and sentiment generated by social robots through a social listening study in social networks. In addition, we determine whether these perceptions on the subject are in tune with other more formal fields, such as scientific research, or with the strategies followed at a national or international level by companies, agencies and organisations related to the technology and innovation of social robotics. For both objectives, we use the Simbiu social listening tool, a software-based program on Talkwalker, and we obtain interesting results. Basically, people on Twitter have a neutral or positive feeling about the use of social robots, and people who write in English have a more positive attitude towards social robots than Spanish speakers. After COVID-19, are necessary changes in strategic decisions of the hospitality and it is essential to continue investigating the role of social robots in this new context.

Role of trust in customer attitude and behaviour formation towards social service robots