Will Robots Help Older People Stay Sharp?

Can a fluffy seal that blinks and squeals, a 1.2 metre talking robot or a virtual human help older people keep their brains healthy?

University of Auckland doctoral scholarship recipient Yuan Gao is putting robotic and virtual human technologies to the test, to see if they improve brain health in older people with mild cognitive impairment.

With support from the University’s Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research and the Department of Psychological Medicine, Gao has just launched the first phase of her research.

The study involves people aged over 65 chatting with Pepper the robot and a virtual human, while engaging in activities, such as physical exercises, cognitive games, and watching a video about mild cognitive impairment.

The technologies can also be used to remind people to take medication, or help them connect socially by suggesting local community events to attend or by phoning friends and family for them.

Gao wants to see if older people feel more motivated with Pepper demonstrating exercises or with a robotic seal called Paro on their lap, responding to their touch by wriggling and making sounds.

She will use the participants’ feedback to re-programme the technologies to better meet their needs.

The second phase of her research will involve putting technologies in older people’s homes for a week, getting their feedback, and using that to improve the tools.

In the final phase, three groups will be randomly assigned a robot or virtual human for three months, while a control group will have no technological helper.

Gao’s research is unique because it is testing technologies for older people over an extended timeframe and in its user-centric approach.

“I’m interested in seeing whether these technologies can improve people’s cognitive health, quality of life and loneliness.

“Older adults deserve a say in the tools designed for them. This study is one small step towards that,” she says.

The 25-year-old’s personal experiences sparked her interest in developing technologies that could help older people keep their memories sharp.

“My great-grandmother was diagnosed with dementia when I was 10 and I saw the progression of her condition. She didn’t receive enough support and at the end, she couldn’t live independently.

“It would be great if we could develop technologies that help people stay mentally sharp, physically active and socially engaged, so they age well and can live independently at home, instead of going into rest homes,” says Gao.

She hopes her research will help older people to better understand and manage mild cognitive impairment, which involves having more memory or thinking problems than usual for one’s age. It affects up to 20 percent of people over the age of 65 and may be an early stage of more serious memory problems, such as dementia.

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