Living with Buddy: can a social robot help elderly with loss of autonomy to age well ?

Abstract

In line with the successful aging models, a preliminary qualitative study with phenomenological interviews was implemented with 40 elderly individuals and caregivers. Complementary results from 8 cocreation meetings allowed us to prioritize the robotic functionalities to be improved and determine the added value of robots in comparison with those of other IT solutions. An experimentation has been launched and is still ongoing with a domestic social robot with elderly. In this paper, we highlight the specific role that robots can play in facilitating aging adjustment strategies.