Koh Wei Qi, Whelan Sally, Heins Pascale, Casey Dympna, Toomey Elaine, Dröes Rose-Marie
School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Irish Centre for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Research, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
JMIR Aging. 2022 Feb 22;5(1):e29224. doi: 10.2196/29224.
Worldwide, populations are aging exponentially. Older adults and people with dementia are especially at risk of social isolation and loneliness. Social robots, including robotic pets, have had positive impacts on older adults and people with dementia by providing companionship, improving mood, reducing agitation, and facilitating social interaction. Nevertheless, the issue of affordability can hinder technology access. The Joy for All (JfA) robotic pets have showed promise as examples of low-cost alternatives. However, there has been no research that investigated the usability and impact of such low-cost robotic pets based on perceptions and experiences of its use with older adults and people with dementia.
The aim of our study was to explore the usability and impact of the JfA robotic cat, as an example of a low-cost robot, based on perceptions and experiences of using the JfA cat for older adults and people with dementia.
We used a novel methodology of analyzing a large volume of information that was uploaded by reviewers of the JfA cat onto online consumer review sites. Data were collected from 15 consumer websites. This provided a total of 2445 reviews. Next, all reviews were screened. A total of 1327 reviews that contained information about use of the JfA cat for older adults or people with dementia were included for analysis. These were reviews that contained terms relating to "older adults," "dementia," and "institutional care" and were published in the English language. Descriptive statistics was used to characterize available demographic information, and textual data were qualitatively analyzed using inductive content analysis.
Most reviews were derived from consumer sites in the United States, and most reviewers were family members of users (ie, older adults and people with dementia). Based on the qualitative content analysis, 5 key themes were generated: prior expectations, perceptions, meaningful activities, impacts, and practicalities. Reviewers had prior expectations of the JfA cat, which included circumstantial reasons that prompted them to purchase this technology. Their perceptions evolved after using the technology, where most reported positive perceptions about their appearance and interactivity. The use of the robot provided opportunities for users to care for it and incorporate it into their routine. Finally, reviewers also shared information about the impacts of device and practicalities related to its use.
This study provides useful knowledge about the usability and impact of a low-cost pet robot, based on experiences and perceptions of its use. These findings can help researchers, robot developers, and clinicians understand the viability of using low-cost robotic pets to benefit older adults and people with dementia. Future research should consider evaluating design preferences for robotic pets, and compare the effects of low-cost robotic pets with other more technologically advanced robotic pets.
在全球范围内，人口正在呈指数级老龄化。老年人和患有痴呆症的人尤其面临社会隔离和孤独的风险。社交机器人，包括机器人宠物，通过提供陪伴、改善情绪、减少躁动和促进社交互动，对老年人和患有痴呆症的人产生了积极影响。然而，可负担性问题可能会阻碍技术的普及。“欢乐伴宠”（JfA）机器人宠物已成为低成本替代品的成功范例。然而，尚未有研究基于老年人和痴呆症患者使用此类低成本机器人宠物的认知和体验，来调查其可用性和影响。
我们研究的目的是基于老年人和痴呆症患者使用“欢乐伴宠”猫型机器人的认知和体验，探索作为低成本机器人范例的“欢乐伴宠”猫型机器人的可用性和影响。
我们采用了一种新颖的方法，即分析“欢乐伴宠”猫型机器人的评论者上传到在线消费者评论网站上的大量信息。数据从15个消费者网站收集。共提供了2445条评论。接下来，对所有评论进行筛选。总共纳入1327条包含有关“欢乐伴宠”猫型机器人供老年人或痴呆症患者使用信息的评论进行分析。这些评论包含与“老年人”“痴呆症”和“机构护理”相关的术语，且以英语发表。使用描述性统计来描述可用的人口统计学信息，并使用归纳性内容分析法对文本数据进行定性分析。
大多数评论来自美国的消费者网站，大多数评论者是用户（即老年人和痴呆症患者）的家庭成员。基于定性内容分析，生成了5个关键主题：先前期望、认知、有意义的活动、影响和实用性。评论者对“欢乐伴宠”猫型机器人有先前期望，其中包括促使他们购买这项技术的具体原因。他们在使用该技术后的认知有所变化，大多数人对其外观和交互性给出了积极评价。机器人的使用为用户提供了照顾它并将其融入日常生活的机会。最后，评论者还分享了有关该设备的影响以及与其使用相关的实用性的信息。
本研究基于使用低成本宠物机器人的经验和认知，提供了关于其可用性和影响的有用知识。这些发现可以帮助研究人员、机器人开发者和临床医生了解使用低成本机器人宠物使老年人和痴呆症患者受益的可行性。未来的研究应考虑评估对机器人宠物的设计偏好，并比较低成本机器人宠物与其他技术更先进的机器人宠物的效果。
