Robotic System for Physical Training of Older Adults

Omri Avioz-Sarig, Samuel Olatunji, Vardit Sarne-Fleischmann, Yael Edan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Physical exercise has many physical, psychological and social health benefits leading to improved life quality. This paper presents a robotic system developed as a personal coach for older adults aiming to motivate older adults to participate in physical activities. The robot instructs the participants, demonstrates the exercises and provides real-time corrective and positive feedback according to the participant’s performance as monitored by an RGB-D camera. Two robotic systems based on two different humanoid robots (Nao, toy-like and Poppy, mechanical-like) were developed and implemented using the Python programming language. Experimental studies with 32 older adults were conducted, to determine the preferable mode and timing of the feedback provided to the user to accommodate user preferences, motivate the users and improve their interaction with the system. Additionally, user preferences with regards to the two different humanoid robots used were explored. The results revealed that the system motivated the older adults to engage more in physical exercises. The type and timing of feedback influenced this engagement. Most of these older adults also perceived the system as very useful, easy to use, had a positive attitude towards the system and noted their intention to use it. Most users preferred the more mechanical looking robot (Poppy) over the toy-like robot (Nao).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1109-1124
Number of pages16
JournalInternational Journal of Social Robotics
Volume13
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).

Funding

SOCRATES (Social Cognitive Robotics in a European Society training research network), Grant agreement number 721619 and by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev through the Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Agricultural, Biological and Cognitive Robotics Initiative, the Marcus Endowment Fund, and the Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut Chair in Manufacturing Engineering. This research was partially supported by the EU funded Innovative Training Network (ITN) in the Marie Skodowska-Curie People Programme (Horizon2020):

FundersFunder number
European Society721619
Horizon2020
Marcus Endowment Fund
Marie Skodowska-Curie
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
European Commission
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

    Keywords

    • Feedback
    • Humanoid robot
    • Kinect
    • NAO
    • Older adults
    • Physical activity
    • Poppy

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