Dynamic personalities for elderly care robots: user-based recommendations

Abstract

The increasing population of older people worldwide has led to growth in the silver market. In response to this trend, various elderly care robots have emerged in recent years to provide physical assistance and support to the elderly. However, these robots are limited in their functions as they do not cater to the mental, emotional, and social needs of the elderly. Hence, this paper proposes the development of elderly care robots with personalities that can dynamically communicate with the elderly in uncertain situations throughout their lifetime, thus fulfilling their remaining needs. This research analyzed previous studies on social and elderly care robots to define their meanings, roles, and functional requirements. Additionally, we conducted focus group interviews to investigate older people's actual problems and needs. We used this data to reveal the emotional, mental, and social roles expected of elderly care robots by various types of elderly individuals. As a result, we propose the concept of dynamic personality for elderly care robots that can adapt to continuously changing elderly situations throughout their entire old age.