Promising directions for human-robot interactions defined by older adults.

Area of Science:

• Human-Robot Interaction
• Gerontology
• Design Research

Background:

• Older adults are increasingly using voice agents and social robots.
• Roboticists design interactions for older adults, but often exclude them from the design process.
• Older adults can collaborate with design teams to guide robot development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand key focus areas for older adult-robot interaction.
• To explore how older adults want these interactions designed.
• To identify robot-interaction guidelines and future directions from older adults' perspectives.

Main Methods:

• A year-long co-design project with 28 older adults.
• Analysis of interviews and guideline generation sessions.
• Adapted ethnographic decision tree modeling for decision-making analysis.

Main Results:

• Older adults gained certainty in their attitudes toward robot engagement.
• Acceptance of transactional functions (reminders) but resistance to sensitive data sharing/monitoring due to surveillance concerns.
• Potential for robots in social connection, body monitoring, and emotional wellness, with noted concerns about autonomy, privacy, and naturalness.

Conclusions:

• Older adults' understanding of robots evolved, leading to clearer preferences.
• Designers must address concerns about privacy, autonomy, and naturalness for successful older adult-robot interaction.
• Future research should further investigate older adults' perspectives to inform robot design.