Presentation
Considerations for embedding robots to support older adults in home environments: Challenges and solutions for successful deployment.
SessionRobotics Summit - Session 4
Description1.1 The need for home healthcare robots
The global rise of older adult populations is driving an increased need for home healthcare solutions to address the unique needs and challenges of older adults. Home healthcare encompasses medical services such as physical and occupational therapy, prescription management, and non-medical assistance, including help with activities of daily living (e.g., eating, bathing, mobility) and instrumental activities of daily living (e.g., meal preparation, transportation, housekeeping). These tasks become increasingly challenging due to normative age-related changes, leading many older adults to seek supportive living arrangements, such as life plan communities.
There is a common misconception that the majority of older adults want to age in their longtime homes. Some older adults prefer a house or apartment, while others prefer to live in life plan communities. Life plan communities are a type of Continuous Care Retirement Community (CCRC), which offer a full continuum of care, ranging from fully independent units to assistance with personal care in assisted living apartments to long-term care in a skilled nursing facility. Older adults in these communities receive support for their needs while retaining their personal autonomy.
The wide range of services CCRCs offer can lead to high staffing demands. Technological solutions such as assistive robots can support care providers by doing simple, mundane, or repetitive tasks, while staff focus on more essential needs. Robots can support caregivers with housekeeping tasks such as laundry and cleaning; assist in delivering meals or items to residents; and mitigating safety hazards by removing obstacles from walkways.
1.2 Exploring the challenges of embedding home healthcare robots
To maximize the potential of robots in CCRCs, it is crucial to understand the challenges in embedding robots in these environments and to find effective solutions. We will present an overview of our research program to share lessons learned from this testing process and highlight best practices for the successful testing of robots in home settings. We will share practical considerations of embedding robots in home spaces and CCRCs, focusing on technological infrastructure, environment setup, and the need to involve stakeholders every step of the way (e.g., conducting needs assessments, usability testing, and participatory design interviews). This research is an ongoing collaboration between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, ClarkLindsey Life Plan Community, and Hello Robot Inc. The broader aim of this research collaboration is to examine the potential of the assistive robot Stretch to support older adults living in life plan communities.
1.3 Naturalistic testing of home healthcare robots
We began this exploration by conducting pilot testing at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home on the Illinois campus in preparation for embedding at ClarkLindsey. The LIFE Home is a state-of-the-art home simulation environment where we could do initial testing of the robot and three high-value task categories the robot can support with: social engagement (e.g., video calls using the robot), cognitive assistance (e.g., reminders and scheduled medication delivery through a specially designed tray), and safety management (hazard detection and removal, e.g., pick up keys and organize shoes). These are common tasks older adults may need support with in their home and that might require staff support in a CCRC. At the LIFE Home, we trained robot operators to ensure consistent teleoperation during deployment. During this time, we worked closely with ClarkLindsey administration to embed the robot in one of their apartments. We conducted pilot testing of the target tasks with ClarkLindsey residents and staff members at the LIFE Home. During these pilots, we asked them about their perceptions and thoughts about the robot and how it could support them at home. In the interviews, we identified potential areas for such robotic assistance and the special considerations for having an assistive robot in a home space, such as a suitable speed, timely feedback, and adaptability to the user’s changing needs. The pilot testing at the LIFE Home, was an iterative process in which we repeatedly refined the tasks and study protocol to best showcase the robot’s capabilities and fully capture the breadth of our participants’ thoughts and needs.
We then transitioned the testing to an apartment at ClarkLindsey. We created a naturalistic home environment in the apartment while still having the necessary components for data analysis. We had to make the empty apartment resemble someone’s home while still having cameras, audio recorders, floor markers, and a teleoperation space for robot control. We had to find the right furniture to support older adult’s physical challenges, find decorations that made the apartment seem “homey” but were not distracting, balance optimal camera positioning and being as least intrusive as possible, and set up the tasks to simulate things older adults might encounter in their homes, such as dropped keys.
A crucial component of this deployment was the technology setup in an actual resident apartment. This environment was unlike at the LIFE Home where we had overhead cameras for direct observation, one-way mirrors for usability assessments, and quality high-speed internet. We set up an observation and teleoperation space in the apartment’s bedroom. We purchased different microphones, multiple cameras, tablets, and high-speed internet to ensure smooth robot operation while collecting data. These adjustments highlight the importance of testing home technology where people live to understand the challenges better and design for use in these environments. This multi-layered and iterative process of testing Stretch at ClarkLindsey showcases the unique considerations of robots in people’s homes. We are currently testing Stretch in this apartment setting for older residents and staff members.
Our project is focused on home healthcare, but the considerations apply to the deployment of robots in other healthcare settings for embedded testing. Initial piloting in laboratory spaces is a necessary first step and is valuable for testing the technology in well-controlled environments. Transitioning to representative contexts is the necessary next step to explore the potential of a robot for everyday uses and for different stakeholder groups. This user testing processing provides the insights needed for design iterations that will lead to successful large-scale deployment of robots.
The global rise of older adult populations is driving an increased need for home healthcare solutions to address the unique needs and challenges of older adults. Home healthcare encompasses medical services such as physical and occupational therapy, prescription management, and non-medical assistance, including help with activities of daily living (e.g., eating, bathing, mobility) and instrumental activities of daily living (e.g., meal preparation, transportation, housekeeping). These tasks become increasingly challenging due to normative age-related changes, leading many older adults to seek supportive living arrangements, such as life plan communities.
There is a common misconception that the majority of older adults want to age in their longtime homes. Some older adults prefer a house or apartment, while others prefer to live in life plan communities. Life plan communities are a type of Continuous Care Retirement Community (CCRC), which offer a full continuum of care, ranging from fully independent units to assistance with personal care in assisted living apartments to long-term care in a skilled nursing facility. Older adults in these communities receive support for their needs while retaining their personal autonomy.
The wide range of services CCRCs offer can lead to high staffing demands. Technological solutions such as assistive robots can support care providers by doing simple, mundane, or repetitive tasks, while staff focus on more essential needs. Robots can support caregivers with housekeeping tasks such as laundry and cleaning; assist in delivering meals or items to residents; and mitigating safety hazards by removing obstacles from walkways.
1.2 Exploring the challenges of embedding home healthcare robots
To maximize the potential of robots in CCRCs, it is crucial to understand the challenges in embedding robots in these environments and to find effective solutions. We will present an overview of our research program to share lessons learned from this testing process and highlight best practices for the successful testing of robots in home settings. We will share practical considerations of embedding robots in home spaces and CCRCs, focusing on technological infrastructure, environment setup, and the need to involve stakeholders every step of the way (e.g., conducting needs assessments, usability testing, and participatory design interviews). This research is an ongoing collaboration between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, ClarkLindsey Life Plan Community, and Hello Robot Inc. The broader aim of this research collaboration is to examine the potential of the assistive robot Stretch to support older adults living in life plan communities.
1.3 Naturalistic testing of home healthcare robots
We began this exploration by conducting pilot testing at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home on the Illinois campus in preparation for embedding at ClarkLindsey. The LIFE Home is a state-of-the-art home simulation environment where we could do initial testing of the robot and three high-value task categories the robot can support with: social engagement (e.g., video calls using the robot), cognitive assistance (e.g., reminders and scheduled medication delivery through a specially designed tray), and safety management (hazard detection and removal, e.g., pick up keys and organize shoes). These are common tasks older adults may need support with in their home and that might require staff support in a CCRC. At the LIFE Home, we trained robot operators to ensure consistent teleoperation during deployment. During this time, we worked closely with ClarkLindsey administration to embed the robot in one of their apartments. We conducted pilot testing of the target tasks with ClarkLindsey residents and staff members at the LIFE Home. During these pilots, we asked them about their perceptions and thoughts about the robot and how it could support them at home. In the interviews, we identified potential areas for such robotic assistance and the special considerations for having an assistive robot in a home space, such as a suitable speed, timely feedback, and adaptability to the user’s changing needs. The pilot testing at the LIFE Home, was an iterative process in which we repeatedly refined the tasks and study protocol to best showcase the robot’s capabilities and fully capture the breadth of our participants’ thoughts and needs.
We then transitioned the testing to an apartment at ClarkLindsey. We created a naturalistic home environment in the apartment while still having the necessary components for data analysis. We had to make the empty apartment resemble someone’s home while still having cameras, audio recorders, floor markers, and a teleoperation space for robot control. We had to find the right furniture to support older adult’s physical challenges, find decorations that made the apartment seem “homey” but were not distracting, balance optimal camera positioning and being as least intrusive as possible, and set up the tasks to simulate things older adults might encounter in their homes, such as dropped keys.
A crucial component of this deployment was the technology setup in an actual resident apartment. This environment was unlike at the LIFE Home where we had overhead cameras for direct observation, one-way mirrors for usability assessments, and quality high-speed internet. We set up an observation and teleoperation space in the apartment’s bedroom. We purchased different microphones, multiple cameras, tablets, and high-speed internet to ensure smooth robot operation while collecting data. These adjustments highlight the importance of testing home technology where people live to understand the challenges better and design for use in these environments. This multi-layered and iterative process of testing Stretch at ClarkLindsey showcases the unique considerations of robots in people’s homes. We are currently testing Stretch in this apartment setting for older residents and staff members.
Our project is focused on home healthcare, but the considerations apply to the deployment of robots in other healthcare settings for embedded testing. Initial piloting in laboratory spaces is a necessary first step and is valuable for testing the technology in well-controlled environments. Transitioning to representative contexts is the necessary next step to explore the potential of a robot for everyday uses and for different stakeholder groups. This user testing processing provides the insights needed for design iterations that will lead to successful large-scale deployment of robots.
Authors
Event Type
Robotics Workshop Submission
TimeSunday, March 303:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
LocationHarbour A/B