PRE2023 3 Group2
Group Members
| Name | Student ID | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Satya Dharmawan | 1545892 | Electrical Engineering |
| Petar Rustić | 1747924 | Applied Physics |
| Alonso Geeksink Antón | 1710508 | Computer Science and Engineering |
| Sander Erbrink | 1862146 | Industrial Engineering |
| Gabriël van Dijk | 1862081 | Industrial Engineering |
| Antoni Liberak | 1719696 | Automotive Technology |
| Valentin Nikushor | 1847120 | Mechanical Engineering |
Problem Statement
The increasing quality of life on a global scale, coupled with the economic conditions in first-world countries where the cost of living per capita is steadily rising, has contributed to a demographic shift characterized by an aging population. Consequently, nations are faced with the imperative of allocating increased resources to elder care, exacerbating an existing shortage of caretakers. Conditions such as loneliness and prevalent health issues, including dementia, accentuate the vulnerability of the aging population, fostering a decline in both mental and physical well-being especially if there is no one to accompany and assist them.
Planning
| Week | Task | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planning and setting up | Everyone |
| 2 | Literature research | Everyone |
| 3 | Functional requirements | Sander & Gabriël |
| Potential problems | Sander & Gabriël | |
| First conceptual design | ||
| Backend programming | Alonso | |
| Electronics | Antoni | |
| Android+UI | Satya & Sander | |
| Interview | Gabriël, Valentin, Antoni, Petar | |
| 4 | Second conceptual design | |
| 5 | Building prototype | |
| 6 | Building prototype | |
| 7 | Testing prototype | |
| Evaluate results | ||
| 8 | Finish the wiki |
Objectives
- Improve the medication adherence of elderly and people who has problems with it.
- Daily reminder to use medicine
- Reminder to stock up pill box
- Daily reminder to do physical exercises
- Alleviate the loneliness problems in the elderly by using an AI bot to converse with them
Deliverables
- A prototype with one or two compartments of the pill box working (with sensors)
- English voice recognition and a companion AI app to assist the user with daily reminders and initiate conversations (as oppose to only responding to commands)
- Speech recognition
- Passed to an AI chatbot with text to speech functionality
- Speech recognition
- English voice recognition and a companion AI app to assist the user with daily reminders and initiate conversations (as oppose to only responding to commands)
- A completed Wiki page functioning as a report on the development of the aforementioned product
- A final presentation showcasing the prototype and any relevant parts of it's construction and the report
USE
User:
- The main user of this technology will be the elderly and patients with early stages of dementia that does not have a caretaker assigned to them nor other people to give them assistance. However, this does not limit to just the elderly, but whoever has a medical condition that does not allow them to adhere to the prescribed medication doses along with no one being able to take care of them doing their day to day tasks.
Society:
- Caretakers:
- This would potentially reduce the burnout rate from caretakers as they have been reported to be burnt out due to low pay in addition to long hours due to the caretaker shortage.
- Government:
- The main benefit for them would be that they could allocate less resources or subsidies to train/hire more caretakers and potentially increase more spending on healthcare providers as the elderly, especially those with dementia has a lower medication adherence. Thus the likelihood of coming back and using healthcare services would be higher.
- Healthcare services:
- As mentioned previously, due to potentially having lower intake from the elderly, the burden on the healthcare services would be lower.
Enterprise:
- Given the current socioeconomic state globally, the trend of aging population will continue to increase unless large changes to the economic and social policies are made. Thus, this can be seen as a growing market.
- There will be a lot of business opportunities with AI chatbot companies as they will be the ones advancing the algorithm for the interaction between the robot and the user.
Potential problems and Functional requirements
When conducting this research and developing a working product, there are a multitude of problems to consider. Some of these problems will need to be solved in order to create a acceptable prototype. These problems are as the following:
- Forgetting Medication Schedule: Memory decline is common among elderly individuals, especially those with dementia. They may forget to take their medications at the prescribed times, leading to missed doses or incorrect dosing schedules.
- Confusion with Medication Names: Elderly individuals may have difficulty remembering the names and purposes of their medications, increasing the risk of medication errors or confusion, especially if they are taking multiple medications.
- Physical Limitations: Arthritis, reduced dexterity, or visual impairment can make it challenging for elderly individuals to handle medication containers, open pill bottles, or accurately measure out doses, leading to difficulties in self-administration.
- Safety Features: Ensuring the safety of the users is paramount. The design should prevent accidental ingestion of multiple doses, incorporate child-proof mechanisms if necessary, and be resistant to tampering.
- Durability: The pillbox should be designed to withstand accidental drops or spills, as well as environmental factors such as humidity or temperature variations. Using durable materials and robust construction techniques can enhance longevity.
- Simplified Setup: Simplifying the initial setup process for caregivers or family members who assist the elderly individuals in using the device is essential. Clear instructions and minimal configuration steps can help alleviate frustration during setup.
- Time Management: Elderly individuals may struggle with time management, making it difficult for them to adhere to specific medication schedules or remember when they last took their medication.
- Travel and Mobility: Traveling or moving between different locations can disrupt medication routines and make it challenging for elderly individuals to remember to take their medications or pack them securely for travel. This means that the pillbox needs to have a way it can be battery-powered. Or a similar solution.
- Medication Adherence Stigma: Some elderly individuals may feel stigmatised or embarrassed about needing assistance with medication management, leading them to resist using supportive tools or seeking help from others.
- Unwillingness to use robots: Some elderly may be unwilling to use or listen to a robot.
- Decreased human interaction: A robot takes away a task that would usually be performed by a human caretaker. A daily interaction like someone coming in to get the patients to take their pills could be an important piece of interaction for lonely elderly patients.
Furthermore, not every problem is solvable within the scope of the course. However, this does not mean they should be disregarded. It is important to acknowledge these issues to show that every aspect has been considered, and as a list of potential improvements for hypothetical future iterations:
- Detect is pills are empty
- Child safety features
- Giving medical advice
- Backup and restoration
- User Authentication: Implement user authentication to ensure that only authorized individuals can access sensitive data or features of the app, such as medication logs or personal information
- Integration with Health Records: Provide the option for users to integrate their medication intake data with their electronic health records or share it with healthcare providers for better monitoring and management of their health.
- Customizable Preferences: Users should be able to customize their preferences regarding speech recognition, language, reminders, and other features according to their individual need
- GPS Tracking: Implement GPS tracking functionality to help users locate the pillbox if it is misplaced or lost.
- Integration with Wearable Devices: Allow integration with wearable devices such as smartwatches or fitness trackers to provide additional insights into the user's health and activity levels.
- Offline capability
Then there are some functions that the product must be able to do:
- Software
- Recognize speech
- Understand speech
- Output in spoken language
- Able to form sentences and have conversations
- Ability to understand the medicine intake
- Needs to log data
- Secure communication
- Reminders snooze, if the can take it immediately
- Error Handling: The software should be able to handle errors gracefully and provide clear feedback to the user in case of misunderstandings or communication failures.
- Hardware
- Give notifications with led and speech
- Detect when lid is opened
- Power management, battery for periods of time when on the move https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVNkFXOdg=/
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Logbook
| Name | Hours | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Alonso Geesink Antón | 6 | Meeting (1 hr), Deliverables (30 min), Literature search (3 hr), Summarising (1.5 hr) |
| Satya Dharmawan | 9 | Meeting(1 hr), Deliverables (30 min), Literature search (3 hr), Summarising (1.5 hr), Brainstorming (3 hr) |
| Gabriël van Dijk | 6 | Meeting (1 hr) Deliverables (30 min), Literature search (3 hr) Summarising (1.5 hr) |
| Sander Erbrink | 6 | Meeting (1 hr), Deliverables (30 min), Literature search (3 hr), Summarising (1.5 hr) |
| Name | Hours | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Alonso Geesink Antón | 7 | Feedback Session (30 min), Meetings (1.5 hr), Researching ChatGPT integration (2 hr), ChatGPT API tutorial and experimenting (4 hr) |
| Satya Dharmawan | 7 | Feedback Session (30 min), Meetings (1.5 hr), Researching ChatGPT integration and speech-text and text-speech (2 hr), Researching Android development (4hr) |
| Gabriël van Dijk | 3.5 | Feedback Session (30 min), Meetings (1.5 hr), Creating interview guidelines and contacting potential interviewees (1.5 hr) |
| Antoni Liberak | 3.5 | Meetings (1.5 hr), Literature search (1 hr), Researching electronic components (1 hr) |
| Sander Erbrink | 3.5 | Feedback Session (30 min), meeting (1.5 hr), literature search state of the art (30 min), looking into frontend development of a app (30 min), looking at 3d modeling (30 min) |
| Name | Hours | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Alonso Geesink Antón | 8 | Feedback Session(30 min), Meeting (1 hr), Researching bluetooth connection to app (2 hr), Setting up app code project files and github (1 hr), Implementing bluetooth connection (3.5 hr) |
| Satya Dharmawan | 13 | Feedback Session (30 min), Researching bluetooth-android connection+ learning java (8 hr), researching parts for the sensors to be used and making a draft of
the implementation for it (4hr), editing the blog (30 minutes) |
| Gabriël van Dijk | 8 | Feedback Session (30 min), Meeting (1 hr), Potential problems and (1.5 hr), Functional requirements (1.5 hr), Editing Interview (0.5 hr), Conducting Interview (0.5 hr), Transcribing Interview (2 hr), Updating Wiki (0.5 hr) |
| Antoni Liberak | ||
| Sander Erbrink | 10 | Feedback session (30 min), Meeting (1 hr), State fo the art (30 min), Potantial problems (1.5 hr), Functional requirment (1.5 hr), UI in android studio (5 hr) |
| Valentin | 9 | Getting acquainted with the project/reading the literature (3 hr), dealing with modelling software (1.5 hr), modelling the prototype (4.5 hr) |
| Name | Hours | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Alonso Geesink Antón | ||
| Satya Dharmawan | ||
| Gabriël van Dijk | ||
| Antoni Liberak | ||
| Sander Erbrink | ||
| Valentin | Feedback session (0.5), Meeting (1), research and reading articles (5), modelling |
State Of The Art
Smart drugs:Improving healthcare using Smart Pill Box for Medicine Reminder and Monitoring System
This smart pillbox epitomizes an innovative blend of advanced technologies meticulously crafted to streamline medication management, particularly for seniors. By harmonizing Arduino Nano and ESP8266 NodeMCU modules, the pillbox orchestrates precise dispensing sequences through its intricately designed 3D-printed components. This includes the pill storage cylinder, pill hatch, pill chamber, and pill pipe, each playing a pivotal role in ensuring accurate and controlled medication distribution. Additionally, the integration of a bespoke mobile application extends convenient remote control functionalities, empowering users to effortlessly input medication details, set dose reminders, and monitor the pillbox's operations in real-time.
The article presents an Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) platform anchored by a 3D-printed pillbox, designed to bolster medication adherence. Beyond its compact form and energy-efficient design, the pillbox incorporates a camera, LCD display, and LED indicators. Connectivity to a remote server, web application, and third-party APIs enrich its functionality. User feedback underscores high acceptance and ease of use, particularly praising medication management features. Comparative trials against a dummy pillbox demonstrate significantly reduced intake delays, indicative of enhanced adherence. Future iterations aim to refine stability, reduce size, and introduce features like remote patient monitoring and accessibility options.
Tricella's smart pillbox revolutionizes medication adherence with its intuitive app, ensuring no dose is missed. Caregivers receive instant alerts, fostering seamless family engagement regardless of distance. With Phantom Sync technology, managing complex regimens becomes effortless. User testimonials highlight its effectiveness, from easing busy schedules to safeguarding critical treatments. Additionally, Tricella's Remote Patient Monitoring Platform offers Medicare-covered services, generating revenue streams for practices while enhancing patient outcomes. With no upfront costs, practices can enroll qualified patients, review data, and bill for revenue effortlessly. Amidst the pandemic, Tricella remains committed, offering monitoring devices at no cost, ensuring continuous care while mitigating COVID-19 risks. Join us in prioritizing health and life over profit, with Tricella supporting you every step of the way.
CYCO stands out as an advanced medication management solution, integrating cutting-edge features to address the complexities of medication schedules comprehensively. In addition to its core functionalities, CYCO boasts dual sensors, enhancing accuracy by ensuring precise medication dispensing. Its multiple layers for medicine storage offer versatility, accommodating various medication regimens efficiently. Moreover, CYCO incorporates a wrong doses alert system, promptly notifying users and caregivers of any discrepancies, thereby mitigating potential risks. Furthermore, scheduling by doses feature enables users to set personalized medication schedules tailored to their specific needs, enhancing flexibility and adherence. These advanced capabilities, coupled with its user-friendly interface and seamless setup process, underscore CYCO's commitment to revolutionizing medication management. Through meticulous prototyping and refinement, CYCO emerges as the epitome of innovation, embodying a vision to empower individuals in taking control of their health journey with confidence and ease.
The product will be different from other State of the Art as a companion assistant will be integrated within the system. This can be used not only from medicine reminders but also to allow the user to interact with the device for other reminders and using it as an assistant.
Interview
Questions interview 1
Guideline: introduction Approximately 2 min
- short introduction interview
- Stating the research purpose: How would an automated pill dispensing system with conversational abilities help in elderly care, more so with early stages of dementia.
- Stating basic informal consent
- Do i have permission to use this interview
- Am i allowed to use this interview in our research
- Do you want to stay anonymous
- How much assistance did your patients receive in their daily life?
- To what degree are elderly patients affected by loneliness?
- How much are robots used in caregiving, should it be more/less? (give an example of the animal robot companion)
- What was the memory like of the average patients, and those with early stage dementia?
- What kind of problems do they encounter in their daily life?
- How often do most patients receive medication?
- Do they often adhere to the prescription of their medication?
- If the adherence is low, what were the reasons? (do they often forget and need constant reminders or have a distrust in the prescribed medicine?)
- Do they need a lot of encouragement to exercise, such as taking a walk just to keep them physically active?
- If so, what were your methods in encouraging them?
Short explanation of our product and its functionality
- Would such a product have a positive effect in patients?
- Do you recommend any extra specifications, or think some functionalities should be dropped?
- Would this product make your work, or the work of colleagues easier?
- Do you foresee any problems that might arise from using this product?
Short summary of interview approximately 1 minute
- Short summary of interview
Response interview 1
Interview 2
interview evalution first prototype
- How many pills do you take per time?
- How many times per day do you take pills?
- How often do you want / can you refill your medication?
- Do you need to move the pillbox often? 1
- Do the size of the box matter to you? If so, how big can de pillbox be at maximum?
- Do you need a locate and find option in the pillbox?
- How do you like to be reminded to take your medicine?
- What features does the app really need to have?
- Is there anything you would like to add to the pillbox or the app?
Response interview 2
| Questions | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response 1 | 3 morning, 2 evening | 2 times | once per week | No | no, doesn't matter | No | Yes | Only need to be able to check when i need to take my meds | No |
| Response 2 | 2 morning | 1 times | more than 4 days | yes | yes, as easy to take with you as a water bottle | Yes | Yes | See the schedule, list of my medication with some information, see when I need to refill my box | No |
| Response 3 | 3 morning, 3 evening | 2 times | once per week | Yes. oncer per week | is 14 bij 5 bij 2, have 2, not much bigger, | No | No, takes during brushing theeth | Already more information than he needs | No |
Interesting Findings interviews:
Luuc:
"Ja... het is wel echt...(eenzaam) ook op gesloten afdelingen vooral. Dan merkt je toch wel dat eenzaamheid wel een dingetje was. En op een niet gesloten afdeling, ja, komt wat meer familie,"
Translation: On the "Closed care" (Care where patients cannot leave because of locked doors, often to make sure they don't wander away) there is a lot of loneliness. On the normal care the family visits a bit more.
Note: He insinuated both normal and closed care is lonely, but the closed care moreso.
"... Ja, ik denk dat het vaak bij patiënten die nog redelijk op zichzelf waren, als uit de patiënten of hoe je denkt die het juist het beste nog zelf kunnen nemen. Die hadden vaak zijn apparaat"
Translate: Patients who where still relatively capable often use a pillbox, often those who you wouldn't consider for such a function.
"Volgens mij worden die nou vaak in die automatische zakjes, zoals die Backstrolls, ziten ze vaak. En die, volgens mij zijn die wekelijks. Dat is die wekelijks waar de bijgevuld."
Translation: They come in Backstrolls (a roll of little bags containing the pills), and they are delivered on a weekly bases.
"Ja, die kamers zijn niet groot van patiënten vaak. ... hij moet niet heel groot zijn, maar ik denk niet dat het heel erg uitmaakt, het formaat is niet echt heel belangrijk, het moet om een kastje kunnen staan."
Translation: The rooms of the elderly that are cared for aren't very big so the box shouldn't be of excessive size, but it doesn't really matter as long as it fits on a cupboard.
"Ja, in principe, meestal staat die op een kastje of in de keuken en blijft hij eigenlijk altijd wel daar staan. Dus ik denk niet dat je hem heel vaak kwijt raakt. Alleen op gesloten afdelingen gebeurt het nog wel eens dat er iemand bij iemand anders spullen mee neemt, en dan raak je wel dingen kwijt."
Translation: Usually the boxes stay in the same location, so they aren't lost often. Only sometimes in closed care there are patients who take other peoples stuff. (usually out of confusion not malice)
"Ik denk voor de ouderen zelf dat zo'n spraakfunctie wel fijner is, kijk zo'n alarm werkt, want je wordt er ook aan het herinnerd. Maar ik denk dat een spraakfunctie een fijnere manier is om er aan het herinnerd te worden. Dus ik denk dat dat iets prettiger is"
Translation: A speech function is nicer than a regular alarm, a regular alarm works but Luuc thinks utilising speech is a better experience for the elderly.
"Want zou bijvoorbeeld de familie ook diezelfde app kunnen, dat ze kunnen zien of de medicatie genoeg is?"
"Nou, ik denk als ze samen kan werken met het systeem dat de zorg gebruikt, dat ze een melding krijgen of de medicatie genomen is ja of nee, Dat je dan de belangrijkste functie al hebt."
Translation: If the app can use a system that works together with the care itself and can notify caregivers if the medication is used or not is the most important app function, and it could also notify family members.
References
Caregiver and Clinician Shortages in an Aging Nation
The nursing home industry experiences a higher turnover rate, attributed to comparatively lower wages and benefits, especially when compared to positions in hospitals. This is exacerbated by staffing shortages, leading to increased workloads and often necessitating staff members to take on multiple shifts in a day. Simultaneously, societal values are shifting towards individualism, contributing to the fragmentation of families due to factors like divorce or geographic distance. This trend results in a decline in the availability of "informal care providers," typically family members. The rise in nonmaternal caregivers, such as nannies or day-cares, not only weakens emotional bonds between parents and children but also contributes to a reduction in the pool of accessible informal care providers, further increasing the demand for nursing homes.
Medication Adherence in Older Patients With Dementia: A Systematic Literature Review
This article conducts a thorough analysis of medication adherence among elderly individuals with dementia, encompassing adherence levels, influential factors, and strategies for intervention. The review consistently establishes a link between dementia/cognitive impairment and medication nonadherence in diverse studies. It emphasises factors like patient characteristics, disease conditions, and medication types as contributors to nonadherence. It highlights the necessity for customized interventions to enhance medication adherence in older individuals with dementia, emphasising the crucial role of caregiver support in this context.
The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly
This research looks into how resistance exercise affects the health of older people, focusing on their physical and mental well-being. The results show that doing resistance exercise, whether at a moderate or high intensity, helps improve muscle strength, lean mass, mood, quality of life, and cognitive function in older individuals. Interestingly, moderate-intensity exercise seems better for boosting mood and certain cognitive aspects. Overall, this study emphasizes the positive impact of resistance exercise on the overall health of older adults, underscoring the importance of personalized exercise plans for this group
This study discovered that exercise remains helpful for reducing depression even when people switch from supervised workouts to doing weight lifting on their own at home or in a gym. Even more than two years later, those who exercised were still less depressed than those who didn't. The research also found that people's confidence and mood got better with exercise, even when they did it without supervision for up to 20 weeks. After 26 months, about a third of those who initially exercised were still keeping up with their exercise routine. The study shows that exercise is quite effective, resolving depression in 73% of those who exercised, compared to 36% who didn't. It suggests that doing weight lifting on your own can be a good, long-term way to reduce depression in older adults.
This review highlights the substantial impact of cognitive impairment and dementia on the medication management skills of older individuals, emphasising the critical importance of evaluating their ability for self-administration through thorough assessments conducted by competent health professionals. Neglecting to address medication management skills in those with cognitive impairment could lead to heightened economic and healthcare burdens. Recognizing this potential consequence, the review urges immediate research into strategies for improving medicine-taking among individuals with cognitive impairment, emphasising the existing limitation in studies focused on this particular area.
The examination of the factors affecting the feeling of loneliness of the elderly
This study investigated the impact of a 12-week intervention program involving interactions with a seal robot on the well-being, mood, and loneliness of elderly residents in a nursing home. The findings indicated a notable reduction in loneliness scores among participants who engaged with the seal robot twice a week, in contrast to a control group. This observation is noteworthy, given that prior research on companion robots, such as Paro and AIBO, primarily emphasized mood enhancement without specifically addressing loneliness. The study suggests that companion robots, serving as substitutes for live animals, can effectively contribute to alleviating loneliness within nursing home environments.
The research brings attention to a unique discovery indicating a direct link between anthropomorphism and a reduction in loneliness. Participants experienced a decline in perceived loneliness following the use of Personal Voice Assistants (PVAs), consistent with earlier studies that propose the effectiveness of technology interventions, such as communication tools and virtual pet companions, in addressing loneliness among older adults. The results underscore the significance of anthropomorphism in alleviating loneliness, particularly evident in relational greetings. Notably, baseline loneliness served as a predictor for such interactions, revealing that individuals experiencing higher levels of loneliness were more inclined to engage with the PVA, initiating personal greetings with polite language and adherence to interaction rituals. This behavior suggests a strong desire for connection, highlighting the role of anthropomorphism in fostering meaningful interactions with the device.
The examination of the factors affecting the feeling of loneliness of the elderly
In this study on loneliness among the elderly, age played a significant role, revealing a consistent increase in loneliness among older individuals. Additionally, higher education levels were linked to higher levels of loneliness, likely influenced by socio-economic and cultural factors. Health-related aspects, including self-perceived health and physical functioning, were associated with loneliness, highlighting the complex relationship between health and social isolation. Maintaining strong social networks and regular family contacts were identified as crucial factors in reducing loneliness.
Designing Robots for Elderly from the Perspective of Potential End-Users: A Sociological Approach
This research looks to adress some issues for end-users regarding age-friendly robots. The main issues here were: How robots are envisioned by the elderly, how knowledgeable the elderly are on the robotics development, and how the elderly are involved in robot design. The research uses qualitative methods, notably interviews. Some interesting results were that most elderly rated themselves as capable enough regarding current technologies, or digital competence as the research calls it. However, during interviews most released that they in fact were no able to keep up with the new developments, often also unwilling to try. This study gives a good insight in how the elderly treat and see technology. Therefor it is quite important and interesting for our own research and creation of a product that is aimed at the elderly.
Robots for Elderly Care: Review, Multi-Criteria Optimization Model and Qualitative Case Study
For the first part this paper reviews the current knowledge about robots for the elderly, focusing on service and social robots. The review aims to highlight how robots interact with the elderly in healthcare and social situations. Also events like covid are considered. For the second part it focusses on a conceptual model. As goal it has to maximize efficiency and robot utilization and minimizing the stress for human caregivers. This is a optimisation conceptual model. It first builds on the ever expanding fields and level of robotic presence in society. It then tries to formulate a formula based on gathered data. Finally the study takes a look at the findings of other research papers regarding which needs, requirements and technological adaptations there are in the elderly care. They also used focus groups as part of their data set. Some of the more important findings were that using robots could help loneliness for example. Also that different people had different sets of expectations for robots, even for the robots appearance.
Socially Assistive Robots in Elderly Care: A Systematic Review into Effects and Effectiveness
This research focusses on robot intervention in social assistance for the elderly and its effectiveness. It takes data from previous researches. They took a lot of information from a previous meta study. To improve upon this they conducted thorough quality control on the used sources. They found that from all 2891 found publications, only 17 studies were really relevant to socially assistive robot care for the elderly. These used 5 different robots from which one was undefined. For the results from these different robots, they generally all seem to have various positive influences on the elderly they cared for. The researchers however did not that more intensive studies must be done on a larger scale to give properly confirm these findings.
This study looks at robots in the elderly care. They state that longer life expectancy and lower birthrates result in a relatively larger elderly group. This larger group needs more care from less people, which is why robots in elderly care become more important, even more-so considering rising health care costs. First they divide the needs into some categories, such as daily activities, physical, cognitive, psychological and social needs. They then outline different robots for each job, and the rules they must adhere to (Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics). The researches look at previous studies on these robots and their impact. In their findings the negative effects are prominently discussed, as opposed to many other researches. Noteworthy worries were the huge data collection that could happen trough robots, and how reducing real human contact influences the elderly, for example by thinning the line between the reality and the appearance of robots. They do conclude that further development on care robots for the elderly must be pursued and that it could prove a very useful tool.
Assistive social robots in elderly care: a review.
This paper aims to check how effective assistive social robots are in the care for the elderly. To gather this information, a systematic review of previous literature was done. The robots are divided into two types: assistive robots that do supporting tasks for their patients, and social service robots which try to act more as a companion. They studied the same robots as other provided literatures, partly because there is a small selection to choose from. Studies were once again filtered and resulted in 43 relevant studies. The results are generally positive in all aspects, from mental to physical wellbeing. The researches did note some patterns that limited the significance of the results. For example: most research was done on two robots, Paro and Aibo, thus limiting how varied the use and capabilities of robots was. Also, most research was done in Japan. Furthermore the elderly lived in nursing homes and not on their own, and finally the methodology was lacking, as they had no control over the other studies and how they were performed/measured.
The use of care robots in aged care: A systematic review of argument-based ethics literature
This study explores the effects of resistance exercise on the physical and mental well-being of older individuals. The research findings suggest that engaging in resistance exercise, whether at moderate or high intensity, leads to improvements in muscle strength, lean mass, mood, quality of life, and cognitive function among older adults. Notably, moderate-intensity exercise appears particularly beneficial for enhancing mood and certain cognitive aspects. The study underscores the importance of personalized exercise plans tailored to the needs of older adults to promote their overall health and cognitive function.
Ethical challenges in the use of social service robots for elderly people
The use of socially assistive robots (SARs) for supporting elderly individuals in care and domestic settings raises significant ethical concerns. Key issues include privacy and data protection, safety and responsibility, involvement of vulnerable individuals, and deception. To address these challenges, ethical principles such as nonmaleficience, beneficence, autonomy, and fairness need to be applied to robotics. While clear answers may not yet be available for every ethical dilemma, the development of ethical guidelines for SAR deployment and research is crucial. This article suggests practical measures from a robotics project to navigate these ethical considerations effectively
Granny and the robots: ethical issues in robot care for the elderly
As the elderly population grows and robotics advances, the use of robots in elder care becomes increasingly feasible. They explore various applications of robots in assisting the elderly and their caregivers, monitoring health and safety, and providing companionship. While recognizing potential benefits, they address six primary ethical concerns, including reduced human contact, feelings of objectification, loss of privacy and personal liberty, deception, infantilization, and control over robots. By weighing care benefits against ethical considerations, they conclude that introducing robots with careful planning and guidelines could enhance the lives of the elderly, fostering independence and facilitating social interaction.
Service robots, care ethics, and design
The rapid growth of service robots in various sectors demands ethical attention in their design and implementation. This paper introduces the Care Centered Value Sensitive Design (CCVSD) approach, originally designed for healthcare robots, as a framework for evaluating personal and professional service robots. By integrating care ethics principles, CCVSD aims to systematically incorporate ethical considerations into robot design. The paper discusses the necessity for ethical evaluation of service robots, presents the CCVSD approach, and explores its applicability beyond healthcare. Through examples of current robot prototypes, the paper illustrates how CCVSD can be used to assess service robots based on their integration into care practices. Ultimately, the paper advocates for proactive ethical evaluation in robot design to address the ethical challenges arising from their increasing presence in daily life.
Emotional Attachment to AI Companions and European Law
This paper discusses ethical issues surrounding the use of AI companions for the elderly, and how EU law currently deals with these. It primarily discusses the potential risks of emotional dependence, giving harmful advice/saying harmful things, harming the users relationships, and amplifying problematic social dynamics. The paper contends that EU law currently deals with these risks in 2 major ways: first in a preventative way by establishing a framework of risk from which AI systems are regulated accordingly and secondly through broad liability laws that mean that the maker of one of these companions does not have to be at fault to be considered liable, and that contracts do not invalidate liability. The potential issue of privacy is then discussed and how the EU currently aims to tackle this through the GDPR, although it is considered by the author to have significant limitations due to a lack of informed consent.
AI Companion Robot Data Sharing: Preferences of an Online Cohort and Policy Implications
This article highlights how current policy surrounding AI companions and privacy seldom takes into account the elderly, which is one of the most vulnerable groups, and discusses how future policy could address this. The researchers use surveys to show that old people are less comfortable with the use and storage of their data by these AI companions and that most want more transparency by companies on how their data is being used, as well as heavier enforcement of privacy laws by the government. It is further contended that the elderly are particularly vulnerable due to their lower familiarity with modern technology and higher prevalence of cognitive issues making it easier to obtain consent that was not properly informed.
‘He knows when you are sleeping’ – Privacy and the personal robot companion
This paper examines privacy concerns surrounding personal robot companions by conducting an exploratory study with 12 participants. It aims to understand user attitudes towards data collection and privacy safeguards in personal robot companions. Participants were exposed to scenarios involving interactions with a robot companion, simulating conversations about personal habits. Findings indicate a trade-off between the perceived utility of data collection and concerns about information disclosure. Participants expressed discomfort with the idea of robots storing personal information, citing risks of unintentional disclosure and emphasizing the need for security measures. Cultural backgrounds influenced attitudes towards privacy, with differences noted in perceptions of data ownership and sharing. Overall, the study highlights the importance of addressing privacy concerns in the development of personal robot companions to ensure user acceptance and adoption.
User Centered Design of a Pill Dispenser for the Elderly
The paper discusses the increasing challenge of patient multimorbidity, particularly among the elderly population, driven by demographic changes in Germany and Europe. With the aging population, there's a rising risk of medication intake among older individuals, with a significant portion already taking multiple medications. However, studies indicate a high rate of incorrect or missed medication doses among patients with chronic diseases. Managing medications correctly is crucial for maintaining independence and quality of life in old age. To address this, research has focused on developing age-appropriate pill dispensers through a user-centered design approach including user surveys, expert evaluations, and design concept variations. Findings highlighted key requirements for pill dispensers, including reliability, long-life functionality, ease of use, and non-stigmatizing design. Based on user feedback and expert evaluation, a modular pill dispenser system with mobile daily units was selected for further development.
This report provides guidelines for improving software performance for elderly users, considering their physical and mental declines. Designing for elderly users requires simplifying interactions and reducing complexity. Key suggestions include removing rarely used functions, reducing items per page, and avoiding complex interactions. Clear task structures are essential, with one key performing one function and one page dedicated to one task. Consistency in information presentation, rapid feedback, and user support are crucial. Interface optimization involves proper sizing of components, avoiding scroll bars, presenting text simply, and using real object-like interfaces. Customizability, both for disabilities and remotely, is vital to accommodate the diverse needs of elderly users. These guidelines aim to enhance the usability and accessibility of software for the elderly population.
Users' Perceptions of an in-Home Electronic Medication Dispensing System: A Qualitative Study
The article examines challenges in medication adherence among older adults, particularly due to complex regimens, and the role of medication dispensing technology. It highlights research showing the potential of such technology to improve adherence and health outcomes. However, challenges like cost and lifestyle compatibility persist. The study aims to understand users' perspectives on a specific home-based medication dispensing system for individuals with chronic conditions living at home.
Older Adults’ Opinion on Social Robot as Companion
The article examines older adults' attitudes toward social robots, particularly among those aged 85 and older, who are underrepresented in research. Through questionnaires, demonstrations, and focus group discussions, the study found that acceptance of social robots as companions was influenced by participants' exposure and interaction with the technology, especially among early and middle-of-the-road adopters. The findings highlight the importance of considering older adults' experiences and attitudes when designing and implementing social robots for improving quality of life in aging populations.