Intelligent Systems Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.
Gerontology. 2011;57(4):378-86. doi: 10.1159/000319015. Epub 2010 Jul 15.
Mental healthcare of elderly people is a common problem in advanced countries. Recently, high technology has developed robots for use not only in factories but also for our living environment. In particular, human-interactive robots for psychological enrichment, which provide services by interacting with humans while stimulating their minds, are rapidly spreading. Such robots not only simply entertain but also render assistance, guide, provide therapy, educate, enable communication, and so on. Robot therapy, which uses robots as a substitution for animals in animal-assisted therapy and activity, is a new application of robots and is attracting the attention of many researchers and psychologists. The seal robot named Paro was developed especially for robot therapy and was used at hospitals and facilities for elderly people in several countries. Recent research has revealed that robot therapy has the same effects on people as animal therapy. In addition, it is being recognized as a new method of mental healthcare for elderly people. In this mini review, we introduce the merits and demerits of animal therapy. Then we explain the human-interactive robot for psychological enrichment, the required functions for therapeutic robots, and the seal robot. Finally, we provide examples of robot therapy for elderly people, including dementia patients.
老年人的精神健康护理是发达国家的一个常见问题。最近，高科技已经开发出机器人，不仅在工厂中使用，而且在我们的生活环境中使用。特别是用于心理充实的人机交互机器人，通过与人类互动同时刺激他们的思维，正在迅速普及。这些机器人不仅简单地娱乐，还提供帮助、指导、治疗、教育、促进交流等服务。机器人疗法是一种将机器人用作动物辅助疗法和活动中动物的替代品的新应用，正在引起许多研究人员和心理学家的关注。名为 Paro 的海豹机器人是专门为机器人疗法开发的，并在几个国家的医院和老年人设施中使用。最近的研究表明，机器人疗法对人的影响与动物疗法相同。此外，它被认为是老年人精神健康护理的一种新方法。在这篇迷你综述中，我们介绍了动物疗法的优缺点。然后我们解释了用于心理充实的人机交互机器人、治疗机器人所需的功能以及海豹机器人。最后，我们提供了针对老年人的机器人疗法的示例，包括痴呆症患者。
