The aim of the present study involves designing a humanoid robot guide as a walking trainer for elderly and rehabilitation patients. The system is based on the humanoid robot Pepper with a compliance approach that allows to match the motion intention of the user to the robot's pace. This feasibility study is backed up by an experimental evaluation conducted in a rehabilitation centre. We hypothesize that Pepper robot used as an assistive partner, can also benefit elderly users by motivating them to perform physical activity.
@cite_0: The impact of the world-wide ageing population has commenced with respect to society in developed countries. Several researchers focused on exploring new methods to improve the quality of life of elderly individuals by allowing them to remain independent and healthy to the maximum possible extent. For example, new walking aids are designed to allow elderly individuals to remain mobile in a safe manner because the importance of walking is well-known. The aim of the present study involves designing a humanoid robot guide as a walking trainer for elderly individuals. It is hypothesized that the same service robot provides an assistive and social contribution with respect to interaction between elderly users by motivating them to walk more and simultaneously provides assistance, such as physical assistance and gait monitoring, while walking. This study includes a detailed statement of the research problem as well as a literature review of existing studies related to walking companion robots. A user-centred design approach is adopted to report the results of the current first feasibility study by using a commercially available humanoid robot known as Pepper developed by Softbank-Aldebaran. A quantitative questionnaire was used to investigate all elements that assess intrinsic motivation in users while performing a given activity. Conversely, basic gait data were acquired through a video analysis to test the capability of the robot to modify the gait of human users. The results in terms of the feedback received from elderly subjects and the literature review improve the design of the walking trainer for elderly individuals.
@cite_7: Building service robots-robots that perform various services in buildings-are becoming more common in large buildings such as hotels and stores. We aim to leverage such robots to serve as guides for blind people. In this paper, we sought to design specifications that detail how a building service robot could interact with and guide a blind person through a building in an effective and socially acceptable way. We conducted participatory design sessions with three designers and five non-designers. Two of the designers and all of the non-designers had a vision disability. Primary features of the design include allowing the user to (1) summon the robot after entering the building, (2) choose from three modes of assistance (Sighted Guide, Escort, and Information Kiosk), and (3) receive information about the building's layout from the robot. We conclude with a discussion of themes and a reflection about our design process that can benefit robot design for blind people in general.
@cite_11: This paper presents a motion control design for a walking-assistant robot by combining passive-compliant behavior and active obstacle avoidance. The proposed method recognizes the intended motion for a user using gait movement and the applied force of a hand. A passive-compliant motion control is developed that allows the user to safely walk with the robot. The obstacle avoidance controller actively controls the velocity to guide the user in a direction that avoids collisions. A shared-control scheme combines active obstacle avoidance and passive-compliant motion commands. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and show that the robot allows a user to walk safely in a complex environment. A questionnaire survey of elderly users shows that the proposed design for a walking-assistant robot gives satisfactory performance.
Feasibility studies which use platforms more socially acceptable, in a physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI) context, have inspired this work. Specifically, @cite_0 underlies the key factors that influence a walking trainer robot for elderly individuals, by analyzing the influence of the pHRI with respect to the user's speed. Additionally, @cite_7 presents a participatory design approach which enables a PR2 to guide blind people. More recently, @cite_11 presents a walking-assistant robot that uses gait estimation which is tested with four elderly patients using a semi-humanoid robot.