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Prototype

Last modified by Laura Ottevanger on 2022/04/05 14:01

Evaluation

We aim to evaluate our prototype throughout all stages of development. This section describes the prototype we want to test in our pilot study: A small study to determine if our idea works as intended. The evaluation will be conducted with a Wizard-of-Oz approach. 

The prototype must be able to perform the following actions:

  • Walking a route
    Controlled by a remote, WAF should be able to follow a route. 
  • Ensure the user stays on path.
    When walking the route, WAF should be able to keep track of the user that they are walking with. When the user lags behind, WAF should wait for the user to catch up. When the user goes further away, the wristband should vibrate and WAF should attempt to regain their attention to get them back on the path as described in Functions. Although it was possible to implement the separate functionality of the proximity wristband that communicated with WAF, we ended up Wizard-of-Oz'ing this because MiRo did not allow for hybrid remote control and code execution.

Additionally, we do not evaluate 'Alerting caretaker'. As we have to assume that our experiment subjects are people with dementia, we can not instruct them that they must fall at some point.

Code

There are a couple of code snippets that were used in the creation of the final product. The code snippets can be found in GitLab: Code Snippets. The code "Alarm" is used when a person with dementia falls or is in dire need of assistance. The WAF will then turn on its siren and alarm lights to notify nearby attendants. The "Change Direction" program is used when a person with dementia walks in a different direction than the robot indicated. In this case, the robot will turn towards the person with dementia, make sounds and wag its tail to grab the attention of the person with dementia, he will then turn around to check on the person with dementia. 

The "Excitement" piece of code will show what WAF will do if the person with dementia acts favourably towards the WAF or actively follow the path.

The final code snippets are about Snoezelen. The WAF will respond positively when the touch sensors are activated. The three pieces of code differ in the amount of movement that WAF performs. The difference is made to test what is preferred by people with dementia.