Designing Meaningful, Beneficial and Positive Human Robot Interactions with Older Adults for Increased Wellbeing During Care Activities

This research explores the benefits of introducing humanoid robots into different active ageing and aged care settings. We visited active ageing groups with a focus on dementia, knitting and a men’s shed. We also took the robot to a residential care home to set up engaging activities. Exploring assumptions of older adults and staff about the capabilities, purpose and intelligence of the robot played a large role in understanding how robots should be introduced. We found that implementation and interactions need to be carefully crafted in advance for developing trust and interest, and for creating a shift in feelings of control in older adults as well as staff. Benefits, meaning, and comfortable interactions are created through building on existing skills, familiarity, and past experiences. When done successfully, older adults were seen to engage in playful and empowering ways, enjoying the interactions with both the robot and the wider group with positive effects beyond the time the actual interactions took place. The article summarizes the findings across the different settings. It presents recommendations for introducing older adults to interact with humanoid robots, supported by motivational goal modelling and technology probe techniques. We consider our research in group settings to be relevant for the wider acceptance of the use of robots. We discuss that researchers should set clear goals for the interactions between the robot and older adults and gradually introduce the technology to older adults in a participatory way in group settings before attempting one-on-one scenarios with them.