“I have the Feeling that the Person is Here”

Older Adults’ Attitudes, Usage Intentions, and Requirements for a Telepresence Robot

Bibliographic Data

ID21199604
AuthorsMelisa Conde (0000-0003-4074-8948, Technische Universität Ilmenau), Veronika Mikhailova (0000-0003-4097-2923, Technische Universität Ilmenau), Nicola Döring (0000-0003-1299-4586, Technische Universität Ilmenau, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume16
Issue7
Pages1619-1639
Publication date2024-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Social Robotics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1875-4791 • E-ISSN: 1875-4805
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12369-024-01143-z
OpenAlexW4398202191
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited64

The social integration of older adults has been shown to be vital for successful aging. Innovative communication technologies, such as telepresence robots, can protect older adults against loneliness and social isolation by helping them stay connected to their social networks. This human-centered qualitative study aims to identify the attitudes (research question 1, RQ1), intentions to use (RQ2), and requirements (RQ3) of older adults for robot-mediated communication (RMC) via a telepresence robot. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with N = 30 older adults from Germany, who evaluated storyboard illustrations depicting a fictional RMC scenario between a grandparent and their adult grandchild. The study identified 3 attitude groups towards telepresence robots among participants: positive, negative, and conflicting attitudes (RQ1). Furthermore, based on their intentions of use, participants were classified into reluctant future users ( n = 12), future non-users ( n = 10), and enthusiastic future users ( n = 8) (RQ2). Finally, the study identified technological, social, and age-related requirements of older adults for a telepresence robot (RQ3). Practical recommendations are provided based on these findings, such as leveraging older adults’ current technology-related skills, adapting technologies to older adults’ lifestyles and social networks, and designing technologies that contribute to older adults aging in place. This study contributes to the human-centered design of telepresence robots that support the social integration of older adults

Feeling · Loneliness · Robot · Social isolation · Successful aging · AI in Service Interactions · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Robot Interaction and HRI · Technology Use by Older Adults · Artificial Intelligence · Gerontology