Music and Cognition

In this section, we discuss what the capabilities of MiRo are in regard to audio, how we designed WAF to use these and how it could help people with dementia (PwDs).

The MiRo does feature speakers that one could stream music to. WAF will, however, never use them to actually play music. Since WAF is supposed to act like a dog, playing music on it would feel unnatural and may decrease its ability for the user to form a bond with it. It might also be a source of sound pollution for the other residents and caretakers of the care center. 

WAF will use the speakers to play a variety of sounds. During walks, it will make ambient sounds that simulate the footsteps of a real dog. The ambient sounds are played rhythmically with every step to make PwDs associate the rhythm of the sound to the pace of the current walk. WAF is also able to make excited noises when it is walking with the user and everything is going well. Additionally, it can play an alarm sound, similar to the siren of an ambulance, in case the user falls and can't get up or some other similar emergency occurs. 

By making WAF not only look, but also sound similar to a real dog, it could reap the same cognitive benefits of real dogs assisting PwDs, such as increased engagement in the walk itself (Marcia S. et al, 2010).