Manali - Self Reflection

Week 1

We were introduced to the coursework project that we would be working on: Building a robot to support patients with dementia.

The concept of human centered design was introduced along with its international standards, which was central to the project: how to build robots which are beneficial and focused towards the (human) users? The system should maximize the extent to which the system can be used efficiently, effectively and with satisfaction. The system should consider the social and physical environment of use, the stakeholders and user experience. 

We learned about dementia and the affordances of a robot as a social actor in patients' lives. To further elaborate, two previously studied use cases were introduced:

1. REJAM: A robot for elderly patients with dementia in a care home, which used music therapy to facilitate processes of emotions and cognition.

2. PAL