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Domestic Robots for Older Adults: Design Approaches and Recommendations

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Design of Assistive Technology for Ageing Populations

Part of the book series: Intelligent Systems Reference Library ((ISRL,volume 167))

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of design considerations for domestic robots to be used by older adults. We describe characteristics of older adults such as sensory, cognitive and motoric functions, as well relevant context factors of the home environment regarding motion and navigation or installation and maintenance. Methods relevant for the design of domestic robots are described including user-centered design as well as ethical considerations such as safety, security, privacy, and autonomy. Relevant tasks of daily living as well as functionalities and features of robots are presented. We describe examples of robots that have been evaluated in research for use by older adults. The robot designs are discussed with regard to benefits and limitations in the development of domestic robots for supporting daily activities of older adults in their home environment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Ergonomics, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Rebecca Wiczorek

  2. College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign, USA

    Megan A. Bayles & Wendy A. Rogers

Authors
  1. Rebecca Wiczorek
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  2. Megan A. Bayles
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  3. Wendy A. Rogers
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebecca Wiczorek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Andree Woodcock

  2. Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Louise Moody

  3. School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA

    Deana McDonagh

  4. Elizabeth Grove Surgery, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Ajita Jain

  5. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Centre for Artificial Intelligence, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Lakhmi C. Jain

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Wiczorek, R., Bayles, M.A., Rogers, W.A. (2020). Domestic Robots for Older Adults: Design Approaches and Recommendations. In: Woodcock, A., Moody, L., McDonagh, D., Jain, A., Jain, L. (eds) Design of Assistive Technology for Ageing Populations. Intelligent Systems Reference Library, vol 167. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26292-1_11

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