Agile Co-Creation for Robots and Aging (ACCRA) Project: new technological solutions for older people

Abstract

IntroductionWorldwide population is getting older. The older persons want to stay independent and wish to increase their engagement in social activities to tackle loneliness, depression, and isolation. Starting from these assumptions, we developed the ACCRA project (Agile Co-Creation for Robots and Aging) with the aim to enable the development of advanced ICT Robotics-based solutions for extending active and healthy aging in daily life by defining, developing and demonstrating an agile co-creation development process.MethodsACCRA robotics solutions will be designed and developed to be tested in three different domains: mobility, daily life, socialization support in four countries (i.e., France, Netherlands, Italy, and Japan). The proposed approach identifies four different phases: (1) needs analysis, (2) agile co-creation, (3) experimentation, and (4) sustainability analysis. Currently, the first two phases were almost completed. For the needs phase, we have used the following recruitment criteria: (1) for mobility: age ≥ 60 years, the and presence of mobility issues assessed by Older Mobility Scale (EMS) with a score > 13; (2) for daily life: age ≥ 60 years, and the presence of difficulties engaging in housework assessed by Autonomie Gérontologie Groupes Iso-Ressources (AGGIR) with a GIR score ≥ 4; (3) for socialization support: age ≥ 60 years, and the absence or mild level of cognitive impairment assessed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) with a score ≥ 24.ResultsThe needs analysis and first co-creation sessions focus attention on the experience of older in the four countries. Preliminary results showed how, in all the pilot sites, many expectations were raised from older, formal and informal caregivers about the application of the technology into their life. Minor concerns existed about privacy, real efficacy and modularity in a real-world environment. Overall, a good attitude was recorded towards the use of technologies to support life and promote independent living. Moreover, the older engaged in our studies showed a great interest to be actively involved in the developing phase of something built based on their needs.ConclusionsThe availability of new solutions to increase independence and quality of life in a sustainable manner appears to be mandatory in the actual society considering the actual socio-economic situation over the industrial countries.

Trends and Effectiveness of ICT Interventions for the Elderly to Reduce Loneliness: A Systematic Review

“…Therefore, the elderly can reduce loneliness, and caregivers can remotely control the robot and observe the daily life of the elderly. Additionally, some robots carry small objects, measure vital parameters [ 25 , 28 ], detect danger, and help carry out daily activities at home [ 13 ].…”

“…Specifically, there are general ICT interventions, such as the use of the Internet and computer training, and ICT interventions designed for the elderly. ICT interventions designed for the elderly have been developed to help them overcome technical barriers [ 12 ], while taking into consideration the interests and preferences of the elderly [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Many recent studies have also been developing ICT interventions, particularly those that follow a senior-centered design [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Assistive robots to improve the independent living of older persons: results from a needs study

“…In between two co-creation sessions, the engineers work in small cycles on the feedback received. This approach has been very useful for the development of ASTRO [60].…”

Pilots for Healthy and Active Ageing (PHArA-ON) Project: Definition of New Technological Solutions for Older People in Italian Pilot Sites Based on Elicited User Needs

“…The capability of technology to improve the lives of older subjects appears a feasible objective to reach as soon as possible, considering the demographic shift, the economic constraint, and societal changing [ 38 ]. The use of these technologies could be considered from the point of view of care professionals as an interesting opportunity to save more time to devote to patient care.…”