Companion Robots for Older Adults

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As older adults increasingly embrace technology, many are choosing to integrate companion robots into their lives. These digital companions are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and harness advanced technology to facilitate healthier and happier aging. Unlike digital assistants such as Alexa or Siri, which are primarily utilitarian, companion robots are designed to cultivate trust and foster meaningful long-term relationships with their users. For seniors ages 60 to over 100, these devices aim toI  prolong independence, promote health and well-being, and facilitate communication between users and their circle of care.

Designers must consider various factors specific to older adults when developing companion robots. For example, integrating multimodal interfaces allows these devices to replicate human interactions and form valuable user relationships. However, selected technologies must address user experience, technological safeguards, and privacy considerations relevant to this older demographic. Furthermore, despite the robots’ human qualities, their design should prevent users from mistakenly viewing them as human entities. In brief, every element is designed with seniors in mind.

Leveraging Multimodal Human–Machine Interface Technologies

ElliQ by Intuition Robotics is one example of a companion robot designed for older adults. ElliQ is a tabletop device consisting of a lamp-shaped robot mounted beside a touch-sensitive display screen. “She” is typically seated in a prominent location within the user’s home and endeavors to cultivate empathy, trust, and a meaningful relationship with her user.

While ElliQ possesses a broad range of capabilities similar to those of digital assistants, her main differentiator is her capacity to initiate interactions proactively. Using a sophisticated software decision-making algorithm, ElliQ autonomously decides the optimal time to initiate conversations and engage with her user. These engagements aim to replicate genuine human interactions and are facilitated by a variety of human-machine interface (HMI) technologies:

•    Camera and microphone: ElliQ leverages vision and auditory capabilities to determine if her user is inclined to engage with her or is occupied with other activities. Users can communicate with ElliQ using gestures or speech, which she processes and comprehends via advanced gesture and speech recognition software.
•    Movement and lights: ElliQ’s robotic head uses mechanical and light-emitting diode features to convey expressions, such as a delighted or quizzical look. Motion capabilities also allow ElliQ to turn her head and follow users as they move about the room.
•    Touch functionality: ElliQ’s exterior structure is equipped with integrated tactile sensors, enabling users to capture her attention by touching the surface.
•    Touchscreen: The accompanying touch-sensitive display screen augments the user experience by adding another visual and tactile dimension. Users can view ElliQ’s questions in text format, respond by engaging a digital button interface, or input data through a digital keypad.

Combining these components into one multimodal interface allows ElliQ to recreate human interactions more accurately. Like people, ElliQ adeptly observes, interprets, and responds to users’ expressions and gestures while seamlessly engaging in nuanced conversations. Through these natural human-like interactions, ElliQ builds a relationship with her user, helping to fulfill that person’s desire for companionship.

Designing for an Older Demographic

When developing robot companion products for older adults, designers must address factors such as user experience, technological safeguards, and privacy to align with the specific needs and preferences of this demographic. 

To continuously enhance their understanding of user experience for seniors, developers can conduct in-home visits with customers or leverage the device’s communication capabilities to ask for feedback with questions such as, “Would you like me to continue suggesting this activity?” Personalized insights gained from individual users are sometimes extrapolated and applied at a broader scale to benefit a wider user base.

In addition to incorporating user insights, designers can fine-tune each integrated technology to ensure its suitability for the intended audience. For example, the companion robot system can act as an orchestrator, analyzing responses from multiple sources such as GenAI, LLMs, and search engines, and dispatching the one most suitable to the user. Moreover, the device can offer older adults a secure internet environment, regulating the scope of permissible searches, approved app downloads, and authorized contacts.

With regard to privacy, developers can protect data effectively by incorporating robust cybersecurity measures. Devices of this nature accumulate a substantial volume of private and sensitive information, necessitating storage in a secure and encrypted location. Users should be able to request the deletion of their data and be assured that the product manufacturer will never sell their data. Within the context of information sharing between users and their circle of care, devices such as ElliQ adhere to a protocol of soliciting consent each time such actions are initiated. This convention stands in contrast to that of many other applications, which establish preset permissions that users often forget over time.

With these meticulous design considerations implemented, older adults can securely embrace the companionship of their devices.

Balancing Human Traits and Robot Identity

While the goal of a companion robot is to foster a human-like relationship with its user, designers must balance user emotional engagement with the reality of the device’s nonhuman nature. Users should never be misled into perceiving the robot as a genuine human being. Unlike humanoid robots that strive to mimic human appearance and behavior, companion robots such as ElliQ are designed purposefully with exterior interfaces that are distinctly nonhuman. For example, ElliQ expresses herself through the movement and illumination of her head structure without the inclusion of facial features. Similarly, if a user makes a statement like “I love you,” ElliQ will respond in a manner that underscores her nonhuman attributes. She might say, “That gets my fans spinning,” and gently remind users that she cannot feel love. However, she can facilitate real connections between older adults and their circle of care, such as by encouraging the user to share a digital drawing with family members. Companion robots are not intended to replace humans but rather to unite them.

Conclusion

Overall, companion robots aim to use advanced technologies to address the needs of the older population. These devices rely on multiple HMI technologies to foster a natural relationship while considering user experience, technological safeguards, and privacy factors. In addition, product designers must balance the device’s human-like engagement with its robot identity to prevent user misconceptions. In the future, incorporating new technologies tailored to the older demographic could further the capabilities of companion robots to serve users better.