Robots for Older Adults

Problem

Increases in life expectancy foreshadow the need for new resources for the care of older adults in the United States and beyond. In many older adult communities, shortcomings are already present in resources available to encourage physical activity, cognitive exercise, social connectedness, and entertainment for residents (among other areas).

Solution

To ensure healthy aging opportunities for older adults, we propose to: (1) design autonomous robotic systems to support the above-mentioned types of needs; (2) enable these systems with the ability to learn and adapt over time to maintain relevance and interest; and (3) to deploy these robotic systems for extended periods of time in the environments of interest. This last step is vital for truly understanding how and whether this type of robotic system can lead to meaningful change in wellness-related outcomes (e.g., physical abilities, cognitive function, psychological well-being). Importantly, our proposed system aims to augment, not replace, human-led care by filling in gaps that human staff are not currently able to cover (e.g., supporting exercise routines for functional maintenance after rehabilitation or between visits with a physical therapist).

People

Publications

• Ramya Challa and Naomi T. Fitter, "Assessing the Viability of LLMs in Robot-Guided Simple Reminiscence," Proceedings of the HRI4Wellbeing Workshop, held in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), Pasadena, CA, USA, 2024. [BibTeX] [PDF]
• Rhian C. Preston and Naomi T. Fitter, "Modular Socially Assistive Robot for In Situ Impromptu Interactions with Older Adults," Proceedings of the Trends in Socially Assistive Robotics (TSAR) Workshop, held in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), Pasadena, CA, USA, 2024. [BibTeX] [PDF]
• Ramya Challa, Jorge Ruballos, and Naomi T. Fitter, "“I’m Glad You Remembered My Name!” Using Gaze and Names in Robot-Aided Healthy Aging Activities," Proceedings of the Workshop on HRI for Aging in Place, held in conjunction with HRI, Boulder, CO, USA, 2024. [BibTeX] [PDF]
• Rhian C. Preston, Madison R. Shippy, Carolyn M. Aldwin, and Naomi T. Fitter, "Toward Robot-Mediated Physical Activity in Skilled Nursing Facilities," Proceedings of the Geriatronics: AI and Robotics for Health & Well-Being in Older Age Workshop, held in conjunction with the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Detroit, MI, USA, 2023. [BibTeX] [PDF]
• Madison R. Shippy, Rhian C. Preston, and Naomi T. Fitter, "Uncouth Robot Behaviors: Where is the Line between Playfulness and Appropriateness in Interactions with Elders?," Proceedings of the Geriatronics: AI and Robotics for Health & Well-Being in Older Age Workshop, held in conjunction with the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Detroit, MI, USA, 2023. [BibTeX] [PDF]
• Madison R. Shippy, Abigail I. R. Leader, and Naomi T. Fitter, "Design Thinking for a Robotic Poker Dealer," Proceedings of the SociAL roboTs for peRsonalized, continUous and adaptIve aSsisTance (ALTRUIST) Workshop, held in conjunction with the 2022 International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR), Florence, Italy, 2022. [BibTeX] [PDF]