RESUMEN
Introduction: Social robot adoption by older adults and people living with dementia is limited by several barriers, including a lack of emotional alignment with social robots and perceptions of stigma around social robot use. The goal of this work was to address these barriers by engaging end-users in discussions on factors that could affect emotional connection to a social robot and considerations around using a social robot in public. Methods: We conducted seven 90-min online workshops with older adults with (n = 2) and without dementia (n = 25) and care partners (n = 17). Older adults with and without dementia were in their 50s - 80s, and care partners were in their 30s - 70s. Seven older adults, seven care partners, and one older adult with dementia indicated that they had used a robot before. Online workshops had 4-8 participants each, and began with video demonstrations of pet-like robot MiRo and tabletop robot T-Top, as well as a live demonstration of MiRo. Participants completed the Multi-Dimensional Robot Attitude Scale before the workshops and the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale and two Zoom polls during the workshops. The audio and chat responses from the workshops were transcribed verbatim and content analysis was performed on the transcripts. Results: Our analysis revealed three broad themes and 10 subthemes. In their discussions on features and applications, participants highlighted preferred forms of communication with a robot and ways in which a robot could support connection between people. For example, robots could improve the quality of communication between care partners and the person for whom they care. While many agreed that a social robot should match their level of emotion and interactivity, participants had different preferences for social robot emotional range and display features. Finally, participants discussed considerations around showing a robot to other people; several participants suggested that a robot could help raise awareness of ageing and dementia while others shared concerns about stigma and attracting negative attention from an audience. Discussion: Incorporating these findings into the design and implementation of social robots will result in devices that are better-suited to the needs of older adults, people living with dementia, and care partners.
RESUMEN
Introduction: Socially assistive robots are devices designed to aid users through social interaction and companionship. Social robotics promise to support cognitive health and aging in place for older adults with and without dementia, as well as their care partners. However, while new and more advanced social robots are entering the commercial market, there are still major barriers to their adoption, including a lack of emotional alignment between users and their robots. Affect Control Theory (ACT) is a framework that allows for the computational modeling of emotional alignment between two partners. Methods: We conducted a Canadian online survey capturing attitudes, emotions, and perspectives surrounding pet-like robots among older adults (n = 171), care partners (n = 28), and persons living with dementia (n = 7). Results: We demonstrate the potential of ACT to model the emotional relationship between older adult users and three exemplar robots. We also capture a rich description of participants' robot attitudes through the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model, as well as the most important ethical concerns around social robot use. Conclusions: Findings from this work will support the development of emotionally aligned, user-centered robots for older adults, care partners, and people living with dementia.