PFI:BIC - Next Generation Robotic Intelligence that Provides Psycho-Social Support for Older Adults

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

An aging America is challenging the U.S. healthcare system. Current and future health-care personnel, along with family caregivers, will be unable to treat or even monitor the wide-ranging challenges of the aging population from anxiety to loneliness, from dementia to physical disability. This project develops Affordable Robotic Intelligence for Elderly Support (ARIES) as one element in meeting these challenges. Technology will not, and should not, replace trained health-care professionals or close members of the family; but technology can lighten the burden on family members and the healthcare system. ARIES will provide affordable assistance with small but challenging tasks of daily living, such as finding keys or reading glasses; remembering medication or appointments; connecting with friends and family; and relieving agitation and loneliness. To be effective in these tasks, ARIES must be easily understandable and reliable, and the research team is developing innovative technological solutions to meet these goals. The most significant outcome of ARIES will be to facilitate and improve health care for older populations and enable more people to continue fulfilling lives in their own homes. The project team harnesses novel research insights from the cognitive and behavioral sciences, geriatric psychiatry, computer science, and industrial design, as well as industry partner Hasbro's expertise in effective, affordable engineering. The researchers will (a) use behavioral science methods to assess older adults' major challenges of daily living with which a small, affordable robotic system can assist; (b) apply inclusive design principles and cutting-edge computer science to develop a small animal-like robot that can alleviate these challenges; and (c) provide a systematic assessment of the developed system?s safety, efficacy, and acceptability in test beds with healthy adults as well as older people with cognitive impairments. From a computer science perspective, this project will expand the frontiers of end-user programming and allow user and robot to engage in mutual teaching and learning. The project is also poised to lead to engineering advances in object tracking and location technology and in the expansion of robot skills by levering smartphone capabilities. From a psychological perspective, the project will provide novel insights into human-robot interaction (especially when the user has no technical expertise) as well as advances in the optimal design of function and appearance in robotic technology for human benefits.