Robot research to help elderly

The University of Auckland and a cluster of South Korean companies have launched a multirobotic study at an Auckland retirement village.

Researchers are conducting six separate robotics studies involving 31 robots sourced from South Korea - one from Japan - and 100 staff and 100 residents from Selwyn Village in Auckland. The large-scale study, which is funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

The Healthbots project is an international collaboration between Uniservices and South Korean companies Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Yujin Robot Company, ED Corporation and Isan Solutions.

The head of the project, Bruce Macdonald from the Faculty of Engineering, says it aims to make robots that are helpful assistants for older people and for their caregivers.

The project was launched in 2008 with initial focus groups and questionnaires to find out what people wanted in a healthcare robot. A pilot study was then conducted using one type of robot, Cafero, or Charlie, as he was called by the researchers, staff and residents.

Charlie performed basic tasks such as taking blood pressure and entertaining residents with jokes and music.

Dr Liz Broadbent, a senior lecturer in psychological medicine, says robots offer many potential benefits, but there are challenges to their acceptance in everyday life.

“We have found that pre-existing ideas and attitudes towards robots influence how people respond. Another key factor is how human-like the robots look and sound. These findings have helped us improve the design of the robots for specific tasks and highlighted the need to address negative preconceptions.”

The study will evaluate five different types of robots: friend, guide, paro, iRobiQ and cafero robots.

The robots can perform tasks such as recording the residents’ heart rate or blood pressure, providing entertainment in the form of music videos and reminding residents to take their medication and alert nurses if someone falls.

The residents can Skype from some of the robots, find out what daily activities are on at the village and play games to help their mental fitness.

The robots are being placed around Selwyn Village’s Pt Chevalier premises including in its cafe, medical centre, hospital and in residents’ rooms and in the communal spaces.

Some of the studies being carried out include medication reminder trials, activity trials and companion trials.

One of the studies involves 28 residents having a robot in their rooms for a six-week period. The robots can be used for entertainment, to Skype family and friends, to listen to music as well as monitor blood pressure.

The medication trials use robots to remind residents to take their medication. If residents fail to do so then the robot alerts the on-site doctor. The robots, which can monitor their users’ blood pressure and heart rate, can also send regular reports to the on-site doctor.

The activity trials involve residents wearing armbands which monitor their whereabouts. If they have a fall then the monitor bands send an alert to the nurse’s station. The data is being monitored in conjunction with a hospital in Germany to see if it is possible to predict a fall before it happens.

Another trial involves the Paro robot, based on a Canadian harp seal which has tactile sensors and responds to being patted by moving its tail and opening and closing its eyes. The robot, which produces sounds similar to a baby seal, is being trialled with dementia patients in the retirement village to see if it has a positive psychological effect on them.

According to overseas studies, the therapeutic robot can reduce patient stress and improve motivation and relaxation.