A Robot Activity Support (RAS) system for persons with memory impairment: Comparing older and younger adults' perceptions of the system

Background: Older adults may require assistance completing activities of daily living (ADLs). Robotic assistance can offset healthcare costs and allow older adults to preserve their autonomy. Younger adults are often involved in the design and purchase of these robotic technologies and must take into account the needs and expectations of the target population (i.e., older adults) to create a robotic system that they will adopt. Objective: This study evaluated the opinions of younger and older adults regarding the design and performance of the Robot Activity Support (RAS) system. It is important to understand points of agreement and divergence between these populations' perspectives so that effective robotic aids are created for older adults. Methods: Fifty-two younger and older adults completed three scripted tasks with the RAS system in a smart home environment. Each participant made task errors to cue the robot to offer help via three prompt modalities (guide to object, video of forgotten step, and video of a full task). After interacting with the RAS system, participants completed questionnaires to report opinions of and satisfaction with the robot. Results: There were minimal differences between younger and older adults' perceptions of the RAS system across multiple factors (e.g., likability, cognitive demand), with both groups expressing generally neutral opinions. Both groups rated the Full Video prompt as least helpful, effective, and liked. Participants recommended the robotic system's response accuracy, movement speed, alerting style and system flexibility be improved. Younger adults overestimated how much older adults would want a robot like this. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of testing technology with target populations, as older adults were less interested in having RAS or a similar robot in their home than younger counterparts expected. Future work with robotic aids should focus first on older adults' requirements for an adoptable product, and then on optimal design to increase its usability.