Changes for page Conclusion

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1		-XWiki.LauraOttevanger
	1	+XWiki.Tim_Huisman2

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1		-= Discussion =
	1	+= Conclusion =
	2	+People with dementia may lose the ability to take a walk on their own due to the decline in their cognitive abilities, causing them to rely on their caretakers to assist them in doing so. In this project, we aimed to design a robotic partner that could replace the caretakers during these walks. This robotic partner could potentially increase the perceived autonomy of people with dementia during walks compared to walking under the guidance of a caretaker, which could increase the overall wellbeing of people with dementia as a consequence.
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	4	+The robot we used for creating this robotic partner is MiRo. MiRo is a small dog-like robot that is able to drive around on small wheels and exert dog-like behaviour such as tail-wagging, head tilting and movement of its ears. We imagined our robotic partner, called WAF, to be programmable with walking routes specified by activity coordinators or caretakers. WAF would then lead the way for PwD on walks while making sure the PwD keeps following them and alerting caretakers when something out of its control happens. Additionally, we imagined WAF to also function as a robot companion, allowing for Snoezelen.
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5		-= Future Work =
	6	+During the design of our prototype, however, we encountered many limitations with the MiRo robot. Among other things, MiRo proved to be very fragile, disallowing for any form of cuddling, and thus, Snoezelen. We therefore excluded this from our prototype. Our ideas on this functionality can be found in the Snoezelen section below. Additionally, any physical connection such as a leash that one would have with walking an actual dog could also not be realized. Next to this, the online environment in which MiRo could be programmed proved to be very limiting, which ultimately caused us to have to 'Wizard of Oz' all of the functionalities that we imagined. Nevertheless, we set up an experiment in which we aimed to evaluate our prototype and test our claims.
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7		-= Snoezelen with MiRo =
8		-Snoezelen with the robot dog is unfortunately not possible with MiRo due to MiRo being limited in a couple of different areas. First of all, MiRo is very fragile. When one touches MiRos head, it moves a bit down each time. Secondly MiRos lights are just a few small LED lights. As Snoezelen would be done by elderly people who might have a visual impairment, it would be preferable to have bigger or more diffused lights so the PwD are able to see a change in colours. Finally, when people are petting the dog, it might be better if the robot dog would have some fur, it would feel more realistic.
9		-Future work would include incorporating Snoezelen. To incorporate Snoezelen, a new prototype of the robot should be created, once a new prototype has been created, an evaluation on how useful Snoezelen is with this new Prototype should be done as well.
	8	+In this experiment, we tasked students to act like a person with dementia while being guided by WAF and by a caretaker separately. After each walk, they were asked to fill in a questionnaire containing questions aimed to validate our claims. The results show that, with the current state of our prototype, WAF did not manage to increase the autonomy of people with dementia during walks when compared to walking under the guidance of a caretaker. The caretaker is preferred when asked if the user feels in charge, feels safe, and feels trustworthy. WAF does, however, slightly outperform the caretaker with regard to happiness, and WAF proved to be successful in guiding PwD in walks, being able to regain their attention when a PwD was distracted.
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11		-== PwD who likes Snoezelen ==
	10	+To conclude, our prototype did not manage to achieve our claims. However, the experiment itself had many limitations, described in [[Test>>https://xwiki.ewi.tudelft.nl/xwiki/wiki/sce2022group02/view/Test/]], which have most definitely influenced our results. Also, the many limitations posed by MiRo caused us to not be able to implement every function that we would have liked to implement, potentially reducing the effectiveness of WAF in achieving our goals. We think that, with a more sophisticated robot, one could create a robotic partner that is able to increase the perceived autonomy of PwD in taking walks, while still ensuring safety during the walk, achieving our goals. However, a more sophisticated robot would also cost significantly more, which would deteriorate the feasibility of this solution. Perhaps, if such robots become more affordable in the future, this solution would be feasible to employ at care homes, but for now, we do not think it is.
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13		-=== Positive effects ===
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15		-The sensory stimuli produced by the Miro can calm down the PwD when they are distraught. Snoezelen helps with the stimulation of one's mind and encourages PwD to pet the miro to observe a spectrum of LEDs and listen to calming and relaxing sounds.
	13	+= Future Work =
	14	+As described above, the MiRo robot came with many limitations that ultimately did not allow us to implement many of the functions that we had imagined. This section contains an overview of the future work that should be done to create a sophisticated robotic partner that is truly able to guide PwD on walks.
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17		-=== Negative effects ===
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19		-If the PwD has any auditory or visual impairments, these could alter the experience and the effectiveness of Snoezelen with Miro. In addition, epillepsy, sensitive hearing or similar sensory disorders may cause the PwD to be overwhelmed. As such, the Miro should be able to adapt to each different PwD. Modifications include: changing the volume of sounds, removing (relatively) high-pitched noises and removing visual patterns that may induce epilleptic attacks.
	17	+One of the limitations of the MiRo is that it is unable to walk on floors that are either uneven, carpeted or black. A new robot prototype should have some form of limbs that allow it to be able to walk up steps and traverse rough terrain, allowing the person with dementia to walk outside. Currently, the robot is unable to walk a path that is not entirely hardcoded. The robot should be able to follow a predefined path and should be able to differ from that path if an obstacle is detected.
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21		-== PwD who dislikes Snoezelen ==
	19	+The robot dog should also be able to connect with the caretaker if something happens where additional assistance is necessary. Therefore, the dog should have some way of contacting the caretaker, either over data roaming or wifi. The robot should also have a GPS so the caretaker can locate the robot, and, more importantly, the person with dementia if they are lost or if they refuse to follow the robot.
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23		-=== Positive effects ===
	21	+When the person with dementia is on a walk, the robot dog should be able to listen to a name that has been created by either the care home or the individual person with dementia. When the dog can listen to a name, it can respond to its name like a real dog. The person with dementia could then get a better bond with the robot dog if they were able to give it a name to which it would respond. Finally, if the dog listens to its name, it can stop walking and start paying attention to the user to see if it would need something from the dog.
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25		-Even if the PwD is disinterested initially, they may still have the innate desire to explore the association between touching the Miro and its response. If the PwD then decides that it is not their cup of tea, they were at least suggested a new activity that stimulated their mind. Else, they may become fond of Snoezelen in subsequent sessions.
	23	+To further strengthen this bond between the person with dementia and their robot dog companion, the new version should allow for Snoezelen. The next section contains our ideas for this additional functionality, and how we would evaluate this function if our prototype allowed for this.
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27		-=== Negative effects ===
	25	+== Snoezelen ==
	26	+We imagined WAF to not only be a guiding robot but also pose itself as a companion. For this, WAF should allow for 'Snoezelen'. Clients should be able to pet WAF on its head and body, and it should respond to that affection with happy noises and movements. This helps the client to create a bond with WAF and it makes walks with WAF more enjoyable. For this, WAF must not be too fragile so people can pet its head and body. Preferably, WAF's skin should be soft or nice to touch, so petting it would be preferable to petting a hard plastic dog like the MiRo.
	27	+We did take Snoezelen as a secondary function into account for our [[Ontology>>https://xwiki.ewi.tudelft.nl/xwiki/wiki/sce2022group02/view/Main/Ontology/]], [[Use Cases>>https://xwiki.ewi.tudelft.nl/xwiki/wiki/sce2022group02/view/Use%20Cases/]] and [[Claims>>https://xwiki.ewi.tudelft.nl/xwiki/wiki/sce2022group02/view/Claims/]].
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29		-Similar to the negative effects for PwD who are into Snoezelen, PwDs may get traumatized when the Miro expresses unexpected behavior or overstimulates them. These effects are augmented when PwD has no inclination for Snoezelen or similar activities at all.
	29	+However, as we were not able to test Snoezelen, our evaluation of this function is limited to a conceptual empirical setup which is described as follows. The research question (R4) would be phrased as: how do users react to Snoezelen with a moving robot? To answer this exploratory question empirically, we would embed a between-subject study design where participants would be divided into three groups: stationary, limited movement and free movement. Multiple sessions (e.g. more than three) would be preferable to mitigate the novelty effect of engaging with WAF (i.e. the MiRo) for the first time.
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31		-== Claim ==
	31	+In the first group, the MiRo would only make sounds and blink LEDs. In the second group, the MiRo would wag its tail and turn its head at times. In the last group, the MiRo would move in all directions, so roll forwards, backwards and side-to-side. Using the first group as a base condition, we could use metrics such as heart rate and the PwD's own experience to compare between each group and see if Snoezelen with a robot that expresses more degrees of moving freedom either overwhelms (e.g. too much stimuli caused by movement of MiRo) PwD or rather stimulates them (e.g. makes them more energetic). To allow the PwD to describe their own emotions perhaps more accurately, the AffectButton [[(Broekens & Brinkman, 2009)>>http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/acii.2009.5349347]] could be used to provide feedback.
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33		-Whether the PwD likes/dislikes Snoezelen at first seems irrelevant for the outcome that PwD will become either more relaxed at best or not bothered at worst by the Miro at all. In order to justify this claim, the Miro must be programmed to accommodate for sensitivity of each PwD. As failing to do so, may cause long-term trauma or injury for PwD.
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	33	+Ethically, we would have to accommodate PwDs who are hypersensitive to certain stimuli by making sure they only participate in the base control group (i.e. the first one) or to exclude them if they are known to suffer from epileptic seizures. Naturally, this study would take on the form of a field study rather than a lab one as the discomfort of PwD can be a major factor in the outcome of the results of such an experiment.
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36		-= Conclusion =
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