IBM Cloud Services enhance automatic cognitive assessment via human-robot interaction

Thanks to recent developments in artificial intelligence and social robotics, Hu-man-Robot Interaction (HRI) can be used as a non-invasive screening tool for the assessment of cognitive decline. In this scenario, the robot manages the assess-ment by providing the instructions to the patient, registering his/her answers and objectively calculating the final score. This service can help to save time and reach a wider population. From the technical point of view, a challenge is to achieve a highly reliable speech and visual recognition as required for a valid scor-ing of performance. In this article, we evaluate a system for cognitive assessment that makes use of the IBM AI Cloud services embodied in one of the most popular platforms for social robotics: the SoftBank Pepper. Results of a pilot study with 16 human par-ticipants shows that IBM Cloud services for speech and visual recognition can improve the system performance in comparison with standard interfaces. Im-portantly, the improvement allows achieving a significant correlation with one of the most used paper-and-pencil tests and, therefore, the study demonstrates the validity of the robotic approach for cognitive assessmen

Psychometric evaluation supported by a social robot: personality factors and technology acceptance

Robotic psychological assessment is a novel field of research that explores social robots as psychometric tools for providing quick and reliable screening exams. In this study, we involved elderly participants to compare the prototype of a robotic cognitive test with a traditional paper-and-pencil psychometric tool. Moreover, we explored the influence of personality factors and technology acceptance on the testing. Results demonstrate the validity of the robotic assessment conducted under professional supervision. Additionally, results show the positive influence of Openness to experience on the interaction with robot's interfaces, and that some factors influencing technology acceptance, such as Anxiety, Trust, and Intention to use, correlate with the performance in the psychometric tests. Technical feasibility and user acceptance of the robotic platform are also discussed

Assessment of Cognitive skills via Human-robot Interaction and Cloud Computing

Technological advances are increasing the range of applications for artificial intelligence, especially through its embodiment within humanoid robotics platforms. This promotes the development of novel systems for automated screening of neurological conditions to assist the clinical practitioners in the detection of early signs of mild cognitive impairments. This article presents the implementation and the experimental validation of the first robotic system for cognitive assessment, based on one of the most popular platforms for social robotics, Softbank "Pepper", which administers and records a set of multi-modal interactive tasks to engage the user cognitive abilities. The robot intelligence is programmed using the state-of-the-art IBM Watson AI Cloud services, which provide the necessary capabilities for improving the social interaction and scoring the tests. The system has been tested by healthy adults (N = 35) and we found a significant correlation between the automated scoring and the MoCA, one of the most widely used paper-and-pencil tests. We conclude that the system can be considered as a screening instrument for cognitive assessment

Usability Evaluation of a Robotic System for Cognitive Testing

This abstract presents a preliminary evaluation of the usability of a novel system for cognitive testing, which is based on the multimodal interfaces of the social robot “Pepper” and the IBM cloud AI “Watson”. Thirty-six participants experienced the system without assistance and filled the System Usability Scale questionnaire. Results show that the usability of the system is highly reliable

The Role of Personality Factors and Empathy in the Acceptance and Performance of a Social Robot for Psychometric Evaluations

Research and development in socially assistive robotics have produced several novel applications in the care of senior people. However, some are still unexplored such as their use as psychometric tools allowing for a quick and dependable evaluation of human users’ intellectual capacity. To fully exploit the application of a social robot as a psychometric tool, it is necessary to account for the users’ factors that might influence the interaction with a robot and the evaluation of user cognitive performance. To this end, we invited senior participants to use a prototype of a robot-led cognitive test and analyzed the influence of personality traits and user’s empathy on the cognitive performance and technology acceptance. Results show a positive influence of a personality trait, the “openness to experience”, on the human-robot interaction, and that other factors, such as anxiety, trust, and intention to use, are influencing technology acceptance and correlate the evaluation by psychometric tests

Robots claiming space: gauging public reaction using computer vision techniques

Handling delicate crops without damaging or bruising is a challenge facing the au-tomation of tasks within the agri-food sector, which encourages the utilization of soft grippers that are inherently safe and passively compliant. In this paper we present a brief overview of the development of a printable soft gripper integrated with printable bend sensors. The softness of the gripper fingers allows delicate crops to be grasped gently, while the bend sensors are calibrated to measure bending and detect contact. This way the soft gripper not only benefits from the passive compliance of its soft fingers, but also demonstrates a sensor-guided approach for improved grasp control

A social robot for cognitive assessment

In this paper, we present our ongoing research on robots as a screening tool for potential cognitive impairment, a risk factor for dementia and other mental diseases. We implemented a psychometric test on a state-of-the-art social robot, realizing a cognitive assessment via Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and we compared it to the traditional paper-and-pencil testing. Our goal was to test the feasibility of this procedure and collect information about novel technology applied in psychological assessment. Results suggest that the goal is achievable under professional supervision, but the technology needs further work and refinement for a fully autonomous assessment

Students’ Mathematics Anxiety at Distance and In-Person Learning Conditions during COVID-19 Pandemic: Are There Any Differences? An Exploratory Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented changes in the educational system, requiring students to continually switch between distance and in-person learning conditions. Recent studies have revealed that students experienced severe levels of anxiety in the COVID-19 period. Considering the close relationship that has always linked anxiety to mathematics, the present study explores the differences in the anxiety levels of students towards mathematics during distance or in-person school learning. During the second wave of COVID-19, 405 students, recruited from twelve middle schools of Catania province (Italy), completed an online version of the MeMa questionnaire, answering each item twice and imagining themselves to be, respectively, in distance and in-person learning conditions. The items explored generalized school anxiety, learning and evaluation mathematics anxiety, mental states, and the metacognitive awareness associated with mathematical tasks. The results showed a minor state of anxiety experienced during distance learning. However, the students who preferred to learn mathematics in person revealed less mathematics anxiety and better mental states and metacognitive awareness; the same results were found in those who reported higher math marks and who preferred scientific subjects. It seems that math anxiety is not one of the various flaws that are imputed to distance learning. Our findings encourage a reflection on possible interventions to reduce students’ anxiety by working on motivation and dysfunctional beliefs