Social robot design preferences as reported by stakeholders

Social robots have the potential to support older adults and their carers; but to be effective in dementia care, they must be designed in ways that align with the specific needs, preferences, and capabilities of people living with dementia.

This descriptive exploratory study investigated design preferences for social robots among people with dementia and key stakeholders involved in their care.

An online survey was conducted using a multi-method design involving people with dementia (n = 11), informal carers (n = 90), formal carers (n = 11), and healthcare providers (n = 4). Bayesian regression examined the hypotheses relating to preferred robot features and design attributes. Qualitative survey responses were analyzed using inductive content analysis, with exemplar quotations used to complement and contextualize quantitative findings.

Animal-like robots were positively received across all stakeholder groups. Telepresence robots were viewed as valuable tools for communication and information exchange, although some participants expressed concerns regarding their potential technical complexity. Both formal and informal carers reported that humanoid robots could provoke anxiety among people with dementia. Participants consistently emphasized that a robot's capabilities and audio outputs should be congruent with its appearance, adjustable to user preferences and appropriate for the robot type. Data capture and storage of personal preferences, along with face recognition, and camera-based monitoring (infrared or skeletal tracking) were considered acceptable when they enhanced safety or supported personalized interactions.

The findings highlight the importance of designing customizable social robots tailored to the diverse preferences and needs that shape human-robot interaction in dementia care through a co-design approach. Support for personalization, appropriate aesthetic-function alignment, and safety-enhancing data use emerged as key considerations for future social robot development.