Robot deployment in long-term care: a case study of a mobile robot in physical therapy

Background. Healthcare systems in industrialised countries are challenged to provide care for a growing number of older adults. Information technology holds the promise of facilitating this process by providing support for care staff, and improving wellbeing of older adults through a variety of support systems. Goal. Little is known about the challenges that arise from the deployment of technology in care settings; yet, the integration of technology into care is one of the core determinants of successful support. In this paper, we discuss challenges and opportunities associated with technology integration in care using the example of a mobile robot to support physical therapy among older adults with cognitive impairment in the European project STRANDS. Results and discussion. We report on technical challenges along with perspectives of physical therapists, and provide an overview of lessons learned which we hope will help inform the work of researchers and practitioners wishing to integrate robotic aids in the caregiving process

A systematic review of attitudes, anxiety, acceptance, and trust towards social robots

As social robots become more common, there is a need to understand how people perceive and interact with such technology. This systematic review seeks to estimate people’s attitudes toward, trust in, anxiety associated with, and acceptance of social robots; as well as factors that are associated with these beliefs. Ninety-seven studies were identified with a combined sample of over 13,000 participants and a standardized score was computed for each in order to represent the valence (positive, negative, or neutral) and magnitude (on a scale from 1 to − 1) of people’s beliefs about robots. Potential moderating factors such as the robots’ domain of application and design, the type of exposure to the robot, and the characteristics of potential users were also investigated. The findings suggest that people generally have positive attitudes towards social robots and are willing to interact with them. This finding may challenge some of the existing doubt surrounding the adoption of robotics in social domains of application but more research is needed to fully understand the factors that influence attitudes