Robotic Partner
According to the study (Han et al., 2016), we find that people with dementia want to engage in personal, meaningful activities which are related to themselves while also being involved with their environment. This human factor knowledge allows us to better understand and model our users to address their needs. Our goal is to use the Nao robot to fulfill their needs for meaningful activities and for this we need to consider the disabilities of people with dementia. This involves taking into account (Han et al., 2016):
- their lower cognitive abilities
- difference in psychological behavior
- perceived stigma or self-stigma
- possibly lower ergonomics.
To achieve a strong human-robot interaction, the tasks that the robot needs to fulfill in order to aid the person with dementia should be designed in such a way that these points are considered in the development. To address these limiting factors, the Interaction design patterns (IDPs) should involve easy-to-use interaction options. In the scenario we have chosen to examine, which is reminding people to eat and stay hydrated throughout the day, these can be represented by the following implementation choices:
- Interaction with the robot through speech will assist people in doing the activities
This is a natural form of interaction for people with dementia and is not too technical. In our case, the robot we have chosen (NAO), provides the functionalities of speech, movement, and haptic sensors in different parts of its body that could be used as input. Therefore, the patient does not need to have any specific technical knowledge and can interact with the robot as if it was a human. - Respond to people based on their perceived emotional state
The robot should be able to detect the emotional state of the patient, through their facial expressions and responses, and act in a way that is appropriate. The aim is to avoid further irritation and improve their mood instead, keeping them as calm as possible throughout stressful situations. - Avoid putting the blame on the person and encourage them instead
People with dementia often feel bad when they forget things or behave in a certain way because of their disease. Our goal is to try and make them remember, or realize some of their mistakes, on their own, reducing the stress and embarrassment that is caused by symptoms of their disease. - Having the ability to personalize the different interaction facilities
Working with people, it is important to remember that there is no "one size fits all" and that everyone will require something different. That could refer to personal preferences from the general conduct of the robot to the preferred time for meals and coffee time. This is why there is the capability to change certain aspects of the robot and its function to better suit the patient, either by the PwD themselves, their relatives/ informal caregivers, or a healthcare professional who is responsible for them.
- Han, Areum & Radel, Jeff & Mcdowd, Joan & Sabata, Dory. (2016). Perspectives of People with Dementia About Meaningful Activities: A Synthesis. American Journal of Alzheimer s Disease and Other Dementias. 31. 115-123.