In a recent article published in Sensors, researchers introduced a baby-sized companion robot named "Matanya" that can offer emotional support and care to elderly individuals in home care centers by recognizing and responding to their facial expressions.
Study: A Novel Implementation of a Social Robot for Sustainable Human Engagement in Homecare Services for Ageing Populations. Image Credit: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock.com
The robot aims to reduce loneliness and improve mental health by engaging users in empathetic, human-like interactions. The goal is to create a scalable and effective solution to address caregiver shortages in aging societies, enhancing the well-being and quality of life of elderly residents.
Background
Aging is a global issue with significant social and economic challenges, particularly in Asian societies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the proportion of people aged 60 and older will increase from 12% in 2015 to 22% in 2050.
One major issue for the elderly is social isolation and loneliness, which can lead to physical and mental health problems like hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, depression, and cognitive decline. Additionally, the demand for caregivers in home care centers often exceeds the supply.
Social robots, which can interact with humans in social and emotional ways, have been proposed as a solution to the challenges of aging populations. However, developing a social robot that can effectively engage humans in home care settings is challenging.
It requires a multidisciplinary approach that considers the robot's design, implementation, evaluation and interaction with elderly users and care staff.
About the Research
In this paper, the authors developed a social robot to bridge the gap between humans and machines. The system integrates knowledge from embedded systems, robotics, and essential soft skills for effective interaction.
It comprises three main components: a humanoid robot, an interface controller, and an embedded artificial intelligence (AI) and vision system.
The humanoid robot, named Matanya, is 30 cm tall and features 16 degrees of freedom, voice and sound capabilities, and expressive eye movements. The interface controller is a low-powered eight-core reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor that synchronizes the robot’s feedback and communicates with the AI unit.
Based on the Nvidia Jetson Nano platform, the AI unit employs machine learning algorithms, particularly neural networks, to recognize and interpret facial expressions and emotional states in real-time. This unit is paired with a camera for facial scanning and emotion recognition.
The trained model categorizes emotions into four types: happy, neutral, sad, and angry. Based on the detected emotion, the robot generates tailored responses to support the emotional well-being of elderly users, including voice responses, eye movements, and human-like motions.
The system also includes a feedback mechanism to adapt and improve interactions over time based on user responses and engagement levels.
Research Findings
The authors conducted pilot studies in several nursing homes to test the robot’s effectiveness in providing emotional support. To evaluate the robot's impact, they measured emotional and physical health outcomes, such as blood pressure, heart rate, mood, and satisfaction. The results showed that the robot successfully recognized and responded to emotional cues, leading to engaging and empathetic interactions.
The robot accurately recognized emotions and generated supportive responses. Users reported higher satisfaction, engagement, and happiness, along with reduced feelings of loneliness and depression.
Elderly participants reported feeling less lonely and happier after interacting with the robot, with significant improvements in blood pressure and heart rate. Additionally, the study found that regular interaction with the robot led to sustained improvements in mood and emotional well-being over time.
Furthermore, caregivers and staff provided positive feedback, appreciating the robot’s assistance and companionship.
They noted that the robot helped reduce the workload on human caregivers by providing consistent emotional support and engaging activities for the elderly. This positive feedback indicates the potential for widespread adoption and integration of such robots in elderly care settings.
Applications
This research has significant implications for elderly care. Beyond emotional support, the robot can assist with routine tasks in home care centers, including medication reminders, emergency assistance, and cognitive stimulation exercises.
It can communicate between the elderly and their family members or caregivers, facilitating social connections and reducing isolation. Additionally, the robot can be customized to meet individual user needs, providing a more personalized experience.
Conclusion
In summary, the novel social robot proved effective in addressing caregiver shortages and improving the well-being of elderly individuals. Future work should expand pilot studies and collaborate with healthcare institutions to further validate the robot's effectiveness.
The researchers also suggested enhancing the robot’s capabilities, particularly in emotion recognition and interaction quality, through ongoing testing and technological upgrades.
Journal Reference
Kok, C.L.; et, al. A Novel Implementation of a Social Robot for Sustainable Human Engagement in Homecare Services for Ageing Populations. Sensors 2024, 24, 4466. DOI: 10.3390/s24144466, https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/14/4466
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