Social Robot

Initially, we wanted to use Navel as a robot to take care of different patients in the middle of the night. After the first presentation, we realized that the project we had planned to do was too broad. Therefore, the idea of the project was changed from one robot that can help different PWD in the middle of the night to each elderly person having their own robot. The robot can sit next to the elderly while they are sleeping, and a robot that can move around is not needed. We also thought that NAO has a friendlier look, while Navel could look scary in the middle of the night, as can be seen in Figure 1. Even though Navel is a more advanced robot, NAO still has all the necessary features to communicate with PWD and comfort them.

NAO features multiple sensors such as a camera, microphones, and touch sensors. Besides that, it has articulated limbs for expressive movement and a speaker that can be used to communicate. The goals that NAO aims to solve through its actions are listed below, together with what NAO can perceive to understand the elderly's emotions.

Figure 1: Nao, Navel and Pepper

Goals:

• Make sure the elderly feel comfortable when they wake up in the middle of the night

• Make sure the elderly goes back to sleep

• Provide assurance

Actions:

• Have a chat with the elderly

• Listen to the elderly

• Play familiar music to the elderly so they feel comfortable and at home

• Get staff involved when necessary:

   

Emotions:

• Fear: They may feel disoriented and not know where they are. This can confuse them and they can have trouble distinguishing between day and night. This is a common phenomenon for people with Alzheimer's.

• Loss of security: The elderly can feel unsafe when they wake up in an unfamiliar environment, such as a hospital when they don't remember where they are.

• Sadness and loneliness: They can feel lonely without their loved ones nearby, this can lead to feelings of sadness or loneliness.

• Restlessness: Some people with Alzheimer's may experience feelings of restlessness or agitation, especially if they wake up suddenly and feel confused or lost.

• Fear of the unknown: People with Alzheimer's may not understand why they woke up in the middle of the night, making them feel anxious about the situation, especially if they have no sense of time.

Beliefs:

• The elderly’s state of mind

Percepts

• The overal posture of the elderly

• Facial expression

• The voice of the elderly

• Heart rate (bracelet)

• sleep (bracelet)