Wiki source code of b. Test

Last modified by Vladimir Rullens on 2025/11/09 21:48

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Mark Neerincx 1.1 1 = 1. Introduction =
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Vladimir Rullens 13.1 3 With the previously described [[prototype>>doc:3\. Evaluation.a\. Prototype.WebHome]], we can begin testing. The focus of our test is on [[CL001: Regular physical activity improves PwD physical well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL002\: Increased calorie expenditure of PwD.WebHome]] and [[CL002: Dance session improves PwD mental well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL003\: H-R Conversation improves mental well-being of the patient\..WebHome]], which are the main claims of our primary use case [[UC02.0: Dancing Session>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.UC02\.0\: Dancing Session.WebHome]], more specifically [[UC02.1: Dancing Session Start>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.UC02\.0\: Dancing Session.UC02\.1\: Dancing Session Start.WebHome]]. Through a before-and-after testing format with a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and HR measurements, we assess whether our claims hold.
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5 = 2. Method =
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7 == 2.1 Participants ==
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Vladimir Rullens 14.1 9 Throughout TUDelft, 9 students (5 M, 4 F) were found who aided us in our experiments. We note these are not actual dementia patients, as we had limited access to actual dementia patients during the course of this experiment. While there were no inclusion or exclusion criteria, this puts our demographic around the age range of 18-27 (soft range), with participants having experience in some field in technology.
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11 == 2.2 Experimental design ==
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Vladimir Rullens 13.1 13 Our experiment made use of our prototype's functionality. A before-and-after test was performed to see if our dancing session validated [[CL002: Dance session improves PwD mental well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL003\: H-R Conversation improves mental well-being of the patient\..WebHome]] by making them fill in an affect-focused questionnaire before and after the experience. Heart rate measurements were taken in the meantime to assess [[CL001: Regular physical activity improves PwD physical well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL002\: Increased calorie expenditure of PwD.WebHome]]. Further details are described in Measures.
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Mark Neerincx 1.1 15 == 2.3 Tasks ==
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Vladimir Rullens 3.2 17 Experiment host: Inform the user of the experiment, ask the participant to fill in the consent form, ask the participant to fill in the questionnaires, time dancing session length.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.2 19 Participant: Engage with the robot, wear fitbit device, dance, fill in 2 questionnaires.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.2 21 Robot: Talk to the participant, encourage the user to dance, hold dance session.
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Mark Neerincx 1.1 24 == 2.4 Measures ==
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Vladimir Rullens 1.2 26 We tested two claims, each through their own measures.
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Vladimir Rullens 18.1 28 [[CL001: Regular physical activity improves PwD physical well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL002\: Increased calorie expenditure of PwD.WebHome]]: For this, we used a sports device similar to a fit-bit device, namely a Garmin Connect. After activating a workout session on the device, we quantitatively measure their heart rate and calories burned to measure their physical engagement. We also quantitatively measure the time spent dancing through a stopwatch, starting the first lap at the moment a song starts, and ending when the participant finishes the experiment. We expect to see heart rates entering the range of a light or medium intensity activity for our claim to hold.
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Vladimir Rullens 12.1 30 [[CL002: Dance session improves PwD mental well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL003\: H-R Conversation improves mental well-being of the patient\..WebHome]]: For this, we used a qualitative measure: We made a questionnaire featuring questions on a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree) to test one's current mental well-being. The results of the individual questionnaire rounds are averaged per question, allowing for a before-and-after comparison. The questions we asked were as follows, with inspiration taken from the [[PANAS>>https://ogg.osu.edu/media/documents/MB%20Stream/PANAS.pdf]] questionnaire, originally devised by Watson et al. in 1988:
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 32 ~1. I feel motivated
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 34 2. I feel proud of myself
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 36 3. I am feeling irritable
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 38 4. I am feeling inspired
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 40 5. I feel miserable
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 42 6. I am content
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 44 7. I feel stressed
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 46 8. I am in a good mood
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 48 9. I feel physically exhausted
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 50 10. I would like to have a robot dog
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 52 11 (Round 2 only). Do you have any additional thoughts on the experience?
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55 For the above questions, the expectation is that values for our positive affect questions, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, increase after the experiment. Meanwhile, our negative affect questions, 3, 5, 7, should decrease.
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57 Two questions here are not focused on the claim itself. Question 9 is an additional question focused on confirming the physical exhaustion of our other claim, and is thereby expected to increase. Question 10 is an additional question that does not confirm a dedicated claim, but is there to provide insight into people's approval of Miro.
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Mark Neerincx 1.1 59 == 2.5 Procedure ==
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 61 ~1. We invite the participant to interact with our robot Miro-E. Before starting, they are asked to fill in the informed consent form.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 63 2. If it is accepted, the user will wear the fit-bit device, and the procedure continues.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 65 3. First, the user should fill in the first instance of the questionnaire.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 67 4. The host of the experiment informs the user that they may start interacting with Miro-E at any time.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 69 5. The user greets Miro-E. Here, we have the user inform Miro of their personal interests and proceed from [[UC03.1: Companion Mode>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.UC03\.0\: Companion.UC03\.1\: Companion Mode.WebHome]].
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 71 6. After introducing each other, Miro-E encourages the user to start a "dancing session".
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 73 7. The user requests to start the dance session.
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Vladimir Rullens 3.1 75 8. Once done, we ask the participant to fill in the questionnaire once more.
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Mark Neerincx 1.1 77 == 2.6 Material ==
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Vladimir Rullens 1.2 79 During the procedure we make use of three materials.
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Vladimir Rullens 5.1 81 - A prototype mimicking Miro-E's functionality.
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Vladimir Rullens 15.1 83 - A Garmin Connect device, which should be worn by the participant.
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Vladimir Rullens 20.1 85 - A version of the Informed Consent Form, where it is acknowledged that the participant's answers to a questionnaire, as well as their metrics on a Garmin Connect device will be used for further analysis. The participant agrees that they are doing this of their own volition, and they may leave at any time. Only those participants who agreed to the terms engaged with the experiment. This consent form also highlights that this is focused on people with dementia.
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Mark Neerincx 1.1 87 = 3. Results =
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Vladimir Rullens 17.1 89 First, we go over [[CL002: Dance session improves PwD mental well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL003\: H-R Conversation improves mental well-being of the patient\..WebHome]]. As can be seen in Figure 1, on average interacting with the prototype improved general mood for our participants.
Alex Pacurar 7.1 90 Most of the positive emotions improve after interacting, while most of the negative emotions decrease in intensity after the interaction. This showcases the fact that the prototype mostly improves general mood and helps the participant feel better. It is interesting to note that the biggest gap occurs for //Good mood //and //Stress.// Interestingly, Physical exhaustion also decreases after dancing and interacting with the prototype, which we did not expect. The two feelings that worsened after the interaction are //proudness //and //feeling miserable. //
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Alex Pacurar 7.1 92 [[Figure 1: Average response for each questionnaire question before and after the experiment.>>image:1761300254007-209.png]]
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Vladimir Rullens 25.1 94 Next, regarding [[CL001: Regular physical activity improves PwD physical well-being>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL002\: Increased calorie expenditure of PwD.WebHome]]. Due to only having 1 Garmin Connect device, this experiment was performed on only half of the participants. By trimming the activities stored on the Garmin Connect device to the dancing session, measurements can be obtained for heart rates and calories burned while dancing, such as the following:
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Vladimir Rullens 23.1 96 [[Figure 2: Example of a trimmed participant's measurements>>image:trimmed_results.jpg||height="278" width="300"]]
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98 On average, we obtained the following results: The average activity heart rate was 103, with the max heart rate ranging from 124-136. This means participants tend to enter zone 2 for a portion of the duration, while usually being in zone 1. The total calories burned was 0-46, averaging at 21. The 0 calories burned was by a participant who did not dance during the entire duration of the dancing session, and instead sat still, listening to music. Finally, during the experiment, the avg music play length was 5:18. We note this was likely reduced due to students being busy.
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Mark Neerincx 1.1 101 = 4. Discussion =
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Vladimir Rullens 13.1 103 If these results had a large sample size, we could say that, given how most feelings positively changed, we believe that the results support our claim: [[Claim 02: PwD mental well-being improves.>>doc:2\. Specification.b\. Use Cases.Claims.CL003\: H-R Conversation improves mental well-being of the patient\..WebHome]] The two metrics that decrease are most likely related to the implementation of the interaction. Most participants complained that the voice recognition does not always work well, and that the conversation was very scripted from Miro. The frustration of being misheard paired with a scripted interaction most likely lead to our participants decrease in proudness and increase in feeling miserable. On the other hand, good music and dancing improved the general mood of participants.
Vladimir Rullens 17.1 104 Most of the participants did not go all out when dancing. Instead, they slightly moved around and danced without intensity. Based on the approximate calories burned and measured heart rate, they tend to enter Zone 2, often associated with light aerobic exercises. Participants most likely felt energized by the increase in heart rate without feeling the actual effort due to its light intensity, making the activity have the unintentional side-effect of working as a means to wake up properly.
105 Unfortunately, due to the small sample size and the Technical University background of our participants, it is unclear if these results are valid. More extensive testing on actual dementia patients would need to be performed to fully validate the above findings and our claims. Despite this, these results give early insights into potential benefits and limitations that our experiments contain.
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Alex Pacurar 7.1 107
Mark Neerincx 1.1 108 = 5. Conclusions =
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Vladimir Rullens 9.1 110 Overall, the interaction supports our claim. However, there are still points that can be improved in the future.
Vladimir Rullens 13.1 111 Firstly, improving the flow of conversation and the voice recognition of Miro will most likely improve the two metrics that worsened during the experiment. As such, in a future iteration, the quality of voice recognition should become a strong new Requirement. Due to issues with background noise, we propose 'noise cancellation' to be included in this new Requirement.
112 Moreover, making Miro dance alongside the participant will also most likely help improve the mood by an even bigger margin. It would be interesting to test this with other robots as well. Dancing alongside a humanoid robot might make the participant more comfortable dancing, even in public spaces. To handle this in a future iteration, more extensive analysis on other Social Robots should be done, with the focus on making them compatible with our Use Cases by updating these. A Requirement on the dancing features of robots and their impact may also need to be included, alongside a tested claim to validate whether this impact is positive.
Vladimir Rullens 10.1 113 For testing, given the low sample size, testing with more participants will lead to more accurate results. While the current results prove the potential of this prototype, it can not be said with certainty that this is a good enough product for PwD.
114 Additionally, it may be of interest to try the experiment over an extended period of time, to confirm that the positive impact on participants does not stem from short-term novelty.