728 research outputs found
Exercising with a Humanoid Companion is More Effective than Exercising Alone
Schneider S, Kummert F. Exercising with a Humanoid Companion is More Effective than Exercising Alone. In: Humanoids 2016 : IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE; 2016: 495-501
Effect of Robotic Delivery of Physical Activity and Fall Prevention Exercise in Older Adults: A Pilot Cohort Study
Introduction: The high prevalence of falls, lack of stability and balance, and general physical deconditioning are concerning issues for longevity and quality of life for adults aged 65 years and older. Although supervised delivery of the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) has demonstrated evidence of effectiveness in reducing fall risk of older adults, opportunities for ongoing unsupervised exercise performance are warranted. An option to facilitate exercise and performance of health behaviors may be via a social robot. The purpose of this study was to examine feasibility and initial outcomes of a robot-delivered fall prevention exercise program for community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: Five participants aged 65 years and older were recruited to receive robot-delivered modified OEP and walking program three times per week for four weeks. Outcomes of demographics, self-reported performance measures (Modified Falls Self-Efficacy Scale, Activities-specific Balance Confidence, and Almere Model assessing various constructs of acceptance of use of robotic technology), and physical performance measures (Timed Up and Go Test, Short Physical Performance Battery, Balance Tracking System [BTrackS] center of pressure sway) were collected. Data were analyzed descriptively and examined for trends in change. Measures of central tendency and distribution were used according to the distribution of the data.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 75 years (range: 66-83 years; four females and one male). The range of participant exercise session completion was 7-12 (mode=11, n=3). Constructs on the Almere Model that started and remained positive were Attitudes Toward Technology and Perceived Enjoyment with the robot. Anxiety improved from 3.80 to 4.68, while Social Presence of the robot improved from 2.80 to 3.56. The construct of Trust was somewhat negative among participants upon commencing the program and did not substantially change over time. Two participants improved their confidence on the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale by more than 10%, while all participants showed some improvement in confidence in their balance. Mixed results were found with the Modified Falls Self-Efficacy Scale. Mean gait speed for the participants improved by 0.76 seconds over 3 meters. Improvement was also demonstrated for the Short Physical Performance Battery, with two participants improving scores by 2-3 points out of 12. No appreciable changes were found with the Timed Up and Go test and the BTrackS assessment.
Conclusion: Using a robot-led exercise program is an accessible and feasible way to deliver exercise to community-dwelling older adults in the home, but some technical constraints remain. Outcomes suggest that a four-week program is sufficient to elicit some positive trends in health outcomes and has the potential to reduce fall risk
Socially Assistive Robots for Exercising Scenarios. Studies on group effects, feedback, embodiment and adaption
Schneider S. Socially Assistive Robots for Exercising Scenarios. Studies on group effects, feedback, embodiment and adaption. Bielefeld: UniversitÀt Bielefeld; 2019.Even though positive effects of being physically active are commonly
known, only a few parts of the world population are sufficiently ac-
tive. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that this problem
affects 31% of the adultâs world population and 80% of the adolescent
population. Appropriate levels of physical activity (PA) are essential
to prevent obesity in childhood and to keep a Quality of Life (QOL)
in old age but are also essential to prevent other Noncommunicable
Diseases (NCDs). Thus, physical inactivity is growing into a severe
problem globally, and there is a growing need to motivate people
to become more physically active during their lifetime. One primary
cause that raises PA levels is having a peer or help from professionals.
However, having assistance is not possible in every situation. It might
be challenging to find and schedule with a partner or to commute to
other places. Roboticist introduced Socially Assistive Robot (SAR) as
an assistive tool for exercising, cognitive or rehabilitation tasks. This
thesis explores SAR in the context of exercising along four features
that have been partly targeted but not yet thoroughly investigated.
These features are a) the social role of the robot, b) encouragement
c) embodiment and d) adaptation. First, this thesis looks at the mo-
tivational effects of exercising with SAR concerning features a) - c).
Second, this thesis questions how a system can adapt to the user, and
whether adaptivity or adaptability is enough to close the gap between
user needs and system behavior. I conducted studies that test the dif-
ferent features by assessing subjective ratings of the robot as well as
measurable motivational variables (e.g., time spent exercising with
the robot) in a bodyweight workout scenario.
The results show that features a) - c) have a positive influence on
userâs exercising time. Additionally, users perceive a robot compan-
ion as more likable than a robot instructor or a human partner. Fur-
thermore, an adaptive robot increases the associated competence and
quality of relationship compared to an adaptable robot. However, the
results also show that the robot does not always have to exercise along
with the user. In situations where it is not possible, the robot could
also only give encouraging feedback. This thesis backs up earlier find-
ings of using SAR by replicating motivational group exercising ef-
fects found in Human-Human Interaction (HHI). Thus, the evidence
that SARs are a suitable tool for rehabilitative interventions increases
which may convince health experts to consider SAR as a useful thera-
peutic tool. Nevertheless, this thesis evaluated the effects only during
short-term interactions. Thus, proving that the found effects are long-
lasting is essential for future studies
Between Fear and Trust: Factors Influencing Older Adults' Evaluation of Socially Assistive Robots
Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) are expected to support autonomy, aging in
place, and wellbeing in later life. For successful assimilation, it is
necessary to understand factors affecting older adults Quality Evaluations
(QEs) of SARs, including the pragmatic and hedonic evaluations and overall
attractiveness. Previous studies showed that trust in robots significantly
enhances QE, while technophobia considerably decreases it. The current study
aimed to examine the relative impact of these two factors on older persons QE
of SARs. The study was based on an online survey of 384 individuals aged 65 and
above. Respondents were presented with a video of a robotic system for physical
and cognitive training and filled out a questionnaire relating to that system.
The results indicated a positive association between trust and QE and a
negative association between technophobia and QE. A simultaneous exploration
demonstrated that the relative impact of technophobia is significantly more
substantial than that of trust. In addition, the pragmatic qualities of the
robot were found to be more crucial to its QE than the social aspects of use.
The findings suggest that implementing robotics technology in later life
strongly depends on reducing older adults technophobia regarding the
convenience of using SARs and highlight the importance of simultaneous
explorations of facilitators and inhibitors
How Might Robots Change Us? Mechanisms Underlying Health Persuasion in Human-Robot Interaction from A Relationship Perspective:A Position Paper
The application of social robots in persuading people to change health behaviors is an increasing research topic. However, little is known in what ways, and under what conditions, effective health persuasion can be achieved in human-robot interaction (HRI). This position paper presents a conceptual model that integrates interpersonal relationship theories to postulate a mechanism through which social robots can change peopleâs health behaviors. In this paper, we first briefly describe the two interpersonal relationship theories we selectively focus on, namely social control and interdependence theory, and we discuss the possibility of people forming relationships with social robots. Then, we propose the conceptual model depicting the potential positive and negative influence of social robotsâ health persuasion on peopleâs psychological and behavioral reactions and the modulating role of human-robot relationships. Finally, we discuss the implications of this model for future research.</p
The perception of a robot partnerâs effort elicits a sense of commitment to human-robot interaction
Previous research has shown that the perception that oneâs partner is investing effort in a joint action can generate a sense of commitment, leading participants to persist longer despite increasing boredom. The current research extends this finding to human-robot interaction. We implemented a 2-player version of the classic snake game which became increasingly boring over the course of each round, and operationalized commitment in terms of how long participants persisted before pressing a âfinishâ button to conclude each round. Participants were informed that they would be linked via internet with their partner, a humanoid robot. Our results reveal that participants persisted longer when they perceived what they believed to be cues of their robot partnerâs effortful contribution to the joint action. This provides evidence that the perception of a robot partnerâs effort can elicit a sense of commitment to human-robot interaction
On Serendipity in Digital Futures
This paper draws attention to and speculates about the concept of serendipity in digital futures. By using a science fiction movie - Iâm Your Man â we are looking into a future where humans might date humanoid robots and explore the plasticity of the concept of serendipity in an attempt to make sense of its moving from an originally genuine human concept to a concept comprising its digital imitation, digital serendipity. Going beyond a dystopian critique of digital serendipity as our contribution, we argue for, and present, a way to fathom serendipity in the world we (will) live in. A future that critically assesses and balances digital serendipity between on one hand demonizing the digital, imposing immense restrictions on human creativity, and negatively impacting human flourishing, and on the other side exalting and celebrating the digital for providing unexpected and unlimited possibilities for prospering
Never Enough: Assessing Body Image in College-Age Males
Body image issues are a prevalent issue among college-age students. College-age males specifically suffer from societal pressures of masculinity which manifest in different body image threats and coping strategies that focus on over-exercising and increased muscularity. This study aims to look at two distinct athletic populations of males at the University of South Carolina: yoga and weightlifting. An eleven item survey interrogated three types of coping strategies: avoidance, appearance fixing, and positive rational acceptance. Thirty males were surveyed and found that males participating in yoga reported rates of appearance fixing that were statistically significantly higher than those in the weightlifting groups. A qualitative analysis found that both groups participated in multiple workouts a day at the same rate and that both groups participated in similar athletic activities outside of their primary athletic group
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