Evaluation of a Telepresence Robot for the Elderly: A Spanish Experience (original) (raw)

Technical improvements of the Giraff telepresence robot based on users' evaluation

2012 IEEE RO-MAN: The 21st IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, 2012

Telepresence robots are teleoperated robotic systems that allow users to virtually visit a remote place and interact with the environment through their sensorial and motor capabilities. This technology has a great potential to facilitate remote interaction and social communication with people, in particular with the elderly. This paper presents some technical improvements for one of such a robot: the Giraff telepresence platform. These improvements, raised by users' experience, are related to a safer and easier driving of the platform, including auto-docking to the recharging station, obstacle detection, and displaying the robot position in a sketch map of the visited place.

ExCITE Project: A Review of Forty-Two Months of Robotic Telepresence Technology Evolution

Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 2016

This article reports on the EU project ExCITE with specific focus on the technical development of the telepresence platform over a period of 42 months. The aim of the project was to assess the robustness and validity of the mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) system Giraff as a means to support elderly people and to foster their social interaction and participation. Embracing the idea of user-centered product refinement, the robot was tested over long periods of time in real homes. As such, the system development was driven by a strong involvement of elderly people and their caregivers but also by technical challenges associated with deploying the robot in real-world contexts. The results of the 42-months’ long evaluation is a system suitable for use in homes rather than a generic system suitable, for example, in office environments.

Assistance and telepresence robots: a solution for elderly people

This paper presents a study of using telepresence and assistance robots in caring for elderly people. We have presented the requirements for these types of robots and possible application fields. Few models of robots will be presented, analyzing technical requirements of assistance robots and their applications. Hereinafter is presented a robot model being under design and development.

Towards a Methodology for Longitudinal Evaluation of Social Robotic Telepresence for Elderly

2011

This paper describes a methodology for performing longitudinal evaluations when a social robotic telepresence system is deployed in realistic environments. This work is the core of an Ambient Assisted Living Project called ExCITE, Enabling Social Interaction Through Telepresence. The Ex-CITE project is geared towards an elderly audience and has as aim to increase social interaction among elderly, their family and healthcare services by using robotic telepresence. The robotic system used in the project is called the Giraff robot and over a three year period, prototypes of this platform are deployed at a number of test-sites in different European countries where user feedback is collected and fed back into the refinement of the prototype. In this paper, we discuss the methodology of ExCITE in particular relation to other methodologies for longitudinal evaluation. The paper also provides a discussion of the possible pitfalls and risks in performing longitudinal studies of this nature particularly as they relate to social robotic telepresence technologies.

Telepresence mobile robot platform for elderly care

2019

Recent demographic trends in most countries show that the percentage of elderly is rapidly increasing. Ageing society is demanding technological solutions that will help to overcome these issues. Robotic assistants used in the elderly and the disabled care has emerged as a potential solution. This study presents a low-cost assistive telepresence robot system for facilitating the health care of the elderly, and improving the quality of life of the elderly and handicapped

A review of mobile robotic telepresence

Mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) systems incorporate video conferencing equipment onto mobile robot devices which can be steered from remote locations. These systems, which are primarily used in the context of promoting social interaction between people, are becoming increasingly popular within certain application domains such as health care environments, independent living for the elderly, and office environments. In this paper, an overview of the various systems, application areas, and challenges found in the literature concerning mobile robotic telepresence is provided. The survey also proposes a set terminology for the field as there is currently a lack of standard terms for the different concepts related to MRP systems. Further, this paper provides an outlook on the various research directions for developing and enhancing mobile robotic telepresence systems per se, as well as evaluating the interaction in laboratory and field settings. Finally, the survey outlines a number of design implications for the future of mobile robotic telepresence systems for social interaction.

Assessment of interaction quality in mobile robotic telepresence: An elderly perspective

Interaction Studies, 2014

In this paper, we focus on spatial formations when interacting via mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) systems. Previous research has found that those who used a MRP system to make a remote visit (pilot users) tended to use different spatial formations from what is typical in humanhuman interaction. In this paper, we present the results of a study where a pilot user interacted with ten elderly via a MRP system. Intentional deviations from known accepted spatial formations were made in order to study their effect on interaction quality from the local user perspective. Using a retrospective interviews technique, the elderly commented on the interaction and confirmed the importance of adhering to acceptable spatial configurations. The results show that there is a mismatch between pilot user behaviour and local user preference and that it is important to evaluate a MRP system from two perspectives, the pilot user's and the local user's.