A distinct set of daily activities was identified that may threaten independent living, but no single activity could be selected as the main activity causing a loss of independence as it is often a combination of problematic activities that is person-specific. Supporting the problematic activities need not involve a robotic solution.

A new stream of research and development responds to changes in life expectancy across the world. It includes technologies which enhance well-being of individuals, specifically for older people. The ACCOMPANY project focuses on home companion technologies and issues surrounding technology development for assistive purposes. The project responds to some overlooked aspects of technology design, divided into multiple areas such as empathic and social human-robot interaction, robot learning and memory visualisation, and monitoring persons’ activities at home. To bring these aspects together, a dedicated task is identified to ensure technological integration of these multiple approaches on an existing robotic platform, Care-O-Bot®3 in the context of a smart-home environment utilising a multitude of sensor arrays. Formative and summative evaluation cycles are then used to assess the emerging prototype towards identifying acceptable behaviours and roles for the robot, for example role as a butler or a trainer, while also comparing user requirements to achieved progress. In a novel approach, the project considers ethical concerns and by highlighting principles such as autonomy, independence, enablement, safety and privacy, it embarks on providing a discussion medium where user views on these principles and the existing tension between some of these principles, for example tension between privacy and autonomy over safety, can be captured and considered in design cycles and throughout project developments

With changes in life expectancy across the world, technologies enhancing well-being of individuals, specifically for older people, are subject to a new stream of research and development. In this paper we present the ACCOMPANY project, a pan-European project which focuses on home companion technologies. The projects aims to progress beyond the state of the art in multiple areas such as empathic and social humanrobot interaction, robot learning and memory visualisation, monitoring persons and chores at home, and technological integration of these multiple approaches on an existing robotic platform, Care-O-Bot R 3, and in the context of a smart-home environment utilising a multitude of sensor arrays. The resulting prototype from integrating these developments undergoes multiple formative cycles and a summative evaluation cycle towards identifying acceptable behaviours and roles for the robot for example role as a butler or a trainer. Furthermore, the evaluation activities will use an evaluation grid in order to assess achievement of the identified user requirements, formulated in form of distinct scenarios. Finally, the project considers ethical concerns and by highlighting principles such as autonomy, independence, enablement, safety and privacy, it embarks on providing a discussion medium where user views on these principles and the existing tension between some of these principles for example tension between privacy and autonomy over safety, can be captured and considered in design cyclesThe work described in this project was partially funded by the European project ACCOMPANY (Acceptable robotics COMPanions for AgeiNg Years). Grant agreement no.: 287624.

À partir d’observations socio-ethnographiques à domicile, cet article explore les conditions d’application des notions de fragilité, vulnérabilité et atouts / ressorts de santé au repérage, au suivi et à la prévention de la perte d’autonomie des personnes âgées. Relevant d’univers différents, ces trois notions offrent des cadres d’analyse et d’intervention complémentaires.La notion de fragilité, dans son acception gériatrique, appartient à l’univers de la maladie ; elle se présente comme une diminution plus ou moins étendue des réserves physiologiques qu’un individu mobilise face à un stress. Les atouts / ressorts de santé se situent d’emblée dans le domaine de la santé, conçue non pas comme un problème à résoudre mais comme une ressource à promouvoir. Les atouts / ressorts de santé reposent sur les activités et relations qui forment le fil directeur de la vie des personnes âgées, les modes d’accompagnement de leur entourage et la qualité des environnements. La vulnérabilité, concept probabiliste qui saisit la relation ou la proximité par rapport à un danger, se rapproche de la fragilité par la notion de risque et des atouts / ressorts de santé par la notion de coping (capacité à faire face, à s’adapter). La vulnérabilité a l’avantage d’offrir une perspective plus large sur les risques associés au vieillissement, et d’entrouvrir la porte à la notion d’atouts / ressorts de santé pour commencer à caractériser les dimensions positives de la santé et de l’autonomie à domicile : en particulier les ressources mobilisées pour faire face aux risques et les motivations qui portent au quotidien les personnes âgées.

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