Functions
Requirements
Below we define the requirements for certain action steps in detail. Along with this for each requirement you can see the feature descriptions in detail. These requirements are utilized in use cases, hence each one can be seen in context under that section.
| No. | REQUIREMENTS |
| RQ001 | Pepper knows the stage of dementia of PwD in order to ask questions in appropriate format. |
| This requirement comes directly from HCP, or is either pre-programmed into Pepper before hand. It ensures that Pepper asks questions in such a way that depending on the stage of dementia of the PwD, they are able to understand it. In order to fulfill this requirement Pepper needs a functioning speaker that can output speech. | |
| RQ002 | Pepper knows the date and time. |
| This requirement deals with knowing the appropriate time of the day. It comes in handy when dealing with reminder tasks, and is utilized to know when certain reminders should be activated during the day. | |
| RQ003 | Pepper understands the response from PwD. |
| After having asked something, it is crucial that Pepper is able to understand what the PwD just said. Moving on to the next action step would require Pepper to do this, otherwise it would be stuck in a loop of "I did not understand." | |
| RQ005 | Pepper understands if the PwD is awake. |
| This is a specific requirement that occurs during the wake up routine use case. Here understanding whether the PwD is awake is important for the alarm/musical setting. If the PwD is not awake, the volume of the music is increased to ensure they are awake. | |
| RQ006 | Pepper knows the activity breakdown of the requested activity. |
| This is a crucial requirement before performing the activity breakdown use case. If the activity breakdown is not given, the functionality can not be used. Here an HPC, or a caregiver inputs the breakdown steps of the activity beforehand to ensure it can be executed at a late time. | |
| RQ007 | Pepper knows the appropriate medication for the time of the day. |
| When reminding the PwD about their medication, it is also important for Pepper to know (pre-programmed or entered by HCP) which medication is correct for that time of day. | |
| RQ008 | Pepper has access to the PwD's calendar. |
| This requirement deals with reminding the PwD about an upcoming calendar event. Pepper should have access to such a calendar, or the HCP can also enter this prior to the event reminders. |
*Note: RQ004 is missing as it was removed at the last moment due to redundancy.
Key Use Case Functionality
Medication reminder
Initial Situation
At a preset time each day, Pepper plays preselected music and engages with the PwD, and asks them to take their medicine. Pepper will continue to ask the PwD to take their medication until they do.
Patients response
Two cases are possible. First, the patient has already taken their medicine and tells Pepper so. Otherwise, the patient will be reminded to take their medicine until they do so. Playing music before reminding the PwD about their medication will help them build up a routine and make the experience more enjoyable.
Meal reminder
Initial Situation
At a preset time each day, Pepper plays preselected music and engages with the PwD asking them to eat. Pepper will continue to ask the PwD to eat until they do so. The sentence for the reminders and the delay are different compared to the medical reminder.
Patients response
Two cases are possible. First, the patient has either already eaten and tells Pepper so. Otherwise, the patient will be reminded to eat until they do so. Playing music before reminding the PwD about their meal will help them build up a routine and make the experience more enjoyable.
Calendar Event reminder
Initial Situation
Sometime before an upcoming event in which the PwD is invited, Pepper will play some music and remind the PwD to prepare for it. Pepper will then ask the PwD how they feel about the event and wish them to enjoy it.
Patients response
As the patient is reminded about their event it will prevent them to forget about it and miss it. Moreover, talking to Pepper about the upcoming event could both calm them and make them apprehend the event more peacefully.
Wake up Routine
Initial Situation
At a preset time each day, Pepper plays preselected music and increases the volume slowly to wake up the patient as smoothly as possible before engaging a conversation with them. The PwD is asked about their sleep, and Pepper goes with them through the early steps of getting up in the morning. Then, Pepper congratulates the PwD and wishes them a good day.
Patients response
The patient will wake up peacefully and will be supported in their first daily activities. The two mains advantages to these features are:
- Slowly waking up the PwD will calm them and will make them feel supported.
- Helping the PwD in setting up a routine will increase their quality of life and reduce the workload of the caretakers, who do not need to assist the PwD in the morning anymore.
Activity Breakdown
Initial Situation
When it is time for a present activity, Pepper plays some music first to get the attention of the PwD, and then asks them whether they want to do the activity or not. If the patient declines, Pepper stops the activity. If the patient accepts, Pepper starts the activity with small steps.
Patients response
The patient would start to follow the steps. After every step, Pepper would ask the patient if they catch up. If yes, Pepper will move to the next step. If not, the patient can choose to redo the last step or stop the activity.