About this Research Topic
As the proportion of elderly people in the population continues to grow dramatically, elderly care is becoming a serious issue in which robots are expected to contribute. More common applications of Robot-Assistive elderly care are towards rehabilitation and physical support, however, more recently, researchers are also exploring the application of social robots for mental support; such as the reduction of social loneliness and BPSD (Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia) through social interaction.
In elderly care, due to cognitive and socio-emotional decline and mental diseases, older people have difficulties in interacting smoothly with their caregivers because their ways of interaction differ from what is common among healthy adults. Furthermore, since these effects vary widely among individuals, care should be customized to each individual’s needs. Person-centered care is an ability which is current lacking in social robotics.
This Research Topic aims to tackle scientific and technical advances in methods, models, techniques, algorithms, and interaction design that understand and facilitate both verbal and non-verbal interactions (e.g. facial expression, gestures, and touch) between older people and caregivers/artificial systems.
In order to provide appropriate care, it is necessary to not only build an interaction model for older people but also deeply investigate the interactions between older adults and the caregiver. It is relevant to apply this to the development of cognitive architectures for social robots, and to the design of new ways of interaction between older adults and robots for person-centered care.
We focus on not only the theoretical aspects but also practical applications that address research issues related to verbal and/or non-verbal interaction between older adults and robotic systems. Particularly, we welcome contributions related to a measuring system to understand person-centered care, novel architectures for a social robot to achieve multimodal interaction with older adults, and a design that facilitates interaction between older adults and robots. Furthermore, discussions of the ethical issues in elderly care with robotic systems are welcome.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Measurements and observations of interactions between older adults and human caregivers in elderly care that can be used for robotics systems
• Robotic technologies that facilitate interaction between older adults and human caregivers
• Supportive systems that facilitate interaction between older adults and robots
• Physiological monitoring and biofeedback systems for elderly care that have potential to install in robotics systems
• Cognitive architecture of social robots for elderly care
• Novel and creative applications of social robots for elderly care
• Exploration of the design of interactions between social robots and older adults
• Randomized controlled studies to investigate the effect of interaction with a social robot on older adults
• Field studies about interaction in robot-assistive elderly care
• Long-term studies about interactions between social robots and older adults
• Human-centered robotics
• Ethical considerations for elderly care with robotic systems
In elderly care, due to cognitive and socio-emotional decline and mental diseases, older people have difficulties in interacting smoothly with their caregivers because their ways of interaction differ from what is common among healthy adults. Furthermore, since these effects vary widely among individuals, care should be customized to each individual’s needs. Person-centered care is an ability which is current lacking in social robotics.
This Research Topic aims to tackle scientific and technical advances in methods, models, techniques, algorithms, and interaction design that understand and facilitate both verbal and non-verbal interactions (e.g. facial expression, gestures, and touch) between older people and caregivers/artificial systems.
In order to provide appropriate care, it is necessary to not only build an interaction model for older people but also deeply investigate the interactions between older adults and the caregiver. It is relevant to apply this to the development of cognitive architectures for social robots, and to the design of new ways of interaction between older adults and robots for person-centered care.
We focus on not only the theoretical aspects but also practical applications that address research issues related to verbal and/or non-verbal interaction between older adults and robotic systems. Particularly, we welcome contributions related to a measuring system to understand person-centered care, novel architectures for a social robot to achieve multimodal interaction with older adults, and a design that facilitates interaction between older adults and robots. Furthermore, discussions of the ethical issues in elderly care with robotic systems are welcome.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Measurements and observations of interactions between older adults and human caregivers in elderly care that can be used for robotics systems
• Robotic technologies that facilitate interaction between older adults and human caregivers
• Supportive systems that facilitate interaction between older adults and robots
• Physiological monitoring and biofeedback systems for elderly care that have potential to install in robotics systems
• Cognitive architecture of social robots for elderly care
• Novel and creative applications of social robots for elderly care
• Exploration of the design of interactions between social robots and older adults
• Randomized controlled studies to investigate the effect of interaction with a social robot on older adults
• Field studies about interaction in robot-assistive elderly care
• Long-term studies about interactions between social robots and older adults
• Human-centered robotics
• Ethical considerations for elderly care with robotic systems
Keywords: Elderly care robot, Social robot, Human-centered robotics, Sensor systems for elderly care, Ethical issues in elderly care robots
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
