Rachel E. Stuck

Acceptance of televideo technology by adults aging with a mobility impairment for health and wellness interventions

Televideo technology (e.g., Skype) has potential to support adults as they age by facilitating their interactions with people remotely; this potential may be even greater for adults aging with pre-existing mobility impairments, who face challenges interacting with others in person due to lack of transportation or accessibility. Our research employed questionnaire and interview methodologies to investigate this understudied population about their attitudes toward televideo technology for supporting social engagement, healthcare provider access, and physical activity. Participants were 14 adults aging with self-reported mobility impairments (50–70 years of age). Overall, participants were open to accepting televideo technology for social engagement, healthcare provider access, and physical activity. Participants perceived these technologies to be useful and perceived additional benefits, including the feeling of “being there” by enabling the viewing of facial expressions and the environment of the other person. Concerns included perceptions that televideo technologies lack security and privacy. Participants also expressed concerns that these technologies are difficult to use and are difficult to learn to use. The findings have implications for education, training, and deployment of televideo technology for home-based interventions for adults aging with pre-existing mobility impairments.

Towards a Human Factors Model for Underwater Robotics

The goal of this study is to understand the factors between a human and semi-Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (sAUVs) from a HRI perspective. A SME interview approach was used to analyze video data of operators interacting with sAUVs. The results suggest considerations for the capabilities and limitations of the human and robot, in relation to the dynamic demands of the task and environment. We propose a preliminary human factors model to depict these components and discuss how they interact.

Understanding Retirement Community Employees’ Perceived Benefits and Concerns of Smart Presence Technology

The goal of this study was to understand the perceived benefits and concerns of smart presence technology from continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) employees. We define smart presence technology as technology that enables an aural and visual presence (i.e. telepresence) with the added benefit of mobility. To better understand their perceptions of the benefits and concerns for smart presence systems, we conducted a needs assessment with CCRC nurses and staff (N=23). We employed a qualitative assessment and interviewed employees who were given first-hand experience operating the smart presence device. We found that there is potential for smart presence in CCRCs; however, employees were not without concerns. The top benefits that were mentioned included convenience and effort/time saving, visualization and socialization whereas the top concerns that were mentioned included limitations of the system, emotional harm to others/residents and physical harm to others. Knowing the employees’ perspectives of smart presence technology will provide insight on how smart presence technology may be used in retirement communities (e.g., resident interaction with family and friends, conducting meetings, etc.) and how to better design smart presence to meet CCRC employee needs (e.g. increase visibility, embed safety mechanisms, etc.).

Human-Robot Trust: Understanding User Perceptions

Human-robot trust is key for effective human-robot interactions. Prior research has explored human-automation and human-robot trust, but further research is still needed. Previously, I investigated human-robot trust between older adults and a care-provider both human and robot which showed that three main factors that influenced trust in the home care provider context were professional skills, personal traits, and communication. One question this study lead to was how do people group and categorize technologies, such as a robot care provider. Current research seeks to explore the dimensions on which people group technologies on by using multidimensional scaling.

Older Adult Preferences for Robot Care Providers

As the population of older adults increases throughout the world, there is increased demand for specialized interventions for older adults who receive assistance from care providers. Robot care providers are a potential technology intervention to support this population. Although previous research has explored older adults’ perceptions of robot care providers, the studies primarily included independently functioning older adults. This study explored the perceptions of robot care providers from older adults who are currently receiving assistance from a human care provider to gain insight into their understanding of successful care, and how robot care providers can be designed to effectively care for older adults. The results suggest that in the care provider context, older adults desire a robot that goes beyond simply performing the tasks, but is also caring, kind, and sociable. When designing robots for older adult care, robots should also be social to support successful interactions.

Older Adults’ Perceptions of Supporting Factors of Trust in a Robot Care Provider

The older adult population is increasing worldwide, leading to an increased need for care providers. An insufficient number of professional caregivers will lead to a demand for robot care providers to mitigate this need. Trust is an essential element for older adults and robot care providers to work effectively. Trust is context dependent. Therefore, we need to understand what older adults would need to trust robot care providers, in this specific home-care context. This mixed methods study explored what older adults, who currently receive assistance from caregivers, perceive as supporting trust in robot care providers within four common home-care tasks: bathing, transferring, medication assistance, and household tasks. Older adults reported three main dimensions that support trust: professional skills, personal traits, and communication. Each of these had subthemes including those identified in prior human-robot trust literature such as ability, reliability, and safety. In addition, new dimensions perceived to impact trust emerged such as the robot’s benevolence, the material of the robot, and the companionability of the robot. The results from this study demonstrate that the older adult-robot care provider context has unique dimensions related to trust that should be considered when designing robots for home-care tasks.

Understanding Older Adult's Perceptions of Factors that Support Trust in Human and Robot Care Providers

As the population of older adults increase so will the need for care providers, both human and robot. Trust is a key aspect to establish and maintain a successful older adult-care provider relationship. However, due to trust volatility it is essential to understand it within specific contexts. This proposed mixed methods study will explore what dimensions of trust emerge as important within the human-human and human-robot dyads in older adults and care providers. First, this study will help identify key qualities that support trust in a care provider relationship. By understanding what older adults perceive as needing to trust humans and robots for various care tasks, we can begin to provide recommendations based on user expectations for design to support trust.

Medication management apps: Usable by older adults?

For older adults, managing medications can be a burden and could lead to medication non-adherence. To decrease risks associated with medication non-adherence, healthcare providers may recommend medication reminder apps as an assistive tool. However, these apps are often not designed with consideration of older adults’ needs, capabilities, and limitations. To identify whether available apps are suitable for older adults, we conducted an in-depth cognitive walkthrough and a heuristic evaluation of the most commonly downloaded medication reminder app. Findings revealed three main issues: 1) difficulty in navigation, 2) poor visibility, and 3) a lack of transparency. We also selected the top five downloaded medication reminder apps and categorized user reviews to assess app functionality and usability problems. The results of our analysis provide guidance for app design for older adult users to provide effective tools for managing medications and supporting patient/user health.

Exploring Use Cases of Smart Presence for Retirement Communities

The goal of this study was to understand what employees of continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) think about the smart presence technology. To better understand their perceptions of the benefits, concerns, and adoption criteria for smart presence systems we have conducted a needs assessment with CCRC employees (N = 23) who were given first-hand experience operating the smart presence system, BEAM, as a local and a pilot user. From the interview data, the most commonly mentioned use case was interaction with others such as doctors, staff, and patients, family, friends, and guests and conduct/attend meetings. From the questionnaire data, the highest uses cases were entertainment (e.g. playing games), interaction for CCRC group activities, and receive remote visits and tours. Findings from this study can guide designers in identifying ways in which smart presence can be integrated into a CCRC environment and used by the employees. Future directions are also considered.

Smart Presence for Retirement Community Employees

The goal of this study was to understand what employees of continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) think about the smart presence technology. To better understand their perceptions of the benefits, concerns, and adoption criteria for smart presence systems we have conducted a needs assessment with CCRC employees who were given first-hand experience operating the BEAM as a pilot and local user. Participants indicated there is potential for smart presence technology in retirement communities and shared an equal number of benefits and concerns. The benefits that were mentioned included convenience and effort/time saving, visualization and socialization whereas the concerns that were mentioned included limitations of the system, emotional harm to others/residents and physical harm to others. It is important to understand such attitudes toward technology, because they are predictive of adoption.