Feasibility Study on the Role of Personality, Emotion, and Engagement in Socially Assistive Robotics: A Cognitive Assessment Scenario

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the role of several aspects that may influence human–robot interaction in assistive scenarios. Among all, we focused on semi-permanent qualities (i.e., personality and cognitive state) and temporal traits (i.e., emotion and engagement) of the user profile. To this end, we organized an experimental session with 11 elderly users who performed a cognitive assessment with the non-humanoid ASTRO robot. ASTRO robot administered the Mini Mental State Examination test in Wizard of Oz setup. Temporal and long-term qualities of each user profile were assessed by self-report questionnaires and by behavioral features extrapolated by the recorded videos. Results highlighted that the quality of the interaction did not depend on the cognitive state of the participants. On the contrary, the cognitive assessment with the robot significantly reduced the anxiety of the users, by enhancing the trust in the robotic entity. It suggests that the personality and the affect traits of the interacting user have a fundamental influence on the quality of the interaction, also in the socially assistive context.

Employing Socially Assistive Robots in Elderly Care

“…These capabilities may also be employed with cognitively impaired seniors who tend to isolate themselves due to discomfort, confusion or moodiness [6] [21] [22]. • Thanks to SARs' social and empathic skills, socialisation among seniors themselves and between seniors and caregivers is encouraged [23]. Taking advantage of social skills could be useful to make integration of new residents in nursing homes simpler, helping seniors to make new friends [6].…”

Personalizing Care Through Robotic Assistance and Clinical Supervision

“…Broadly speaking, the creation of a complete and effective user model is crucial to realize human–robot interactions characterized by adaptability, trust building, effective communication, and explainability ( Tabrez et al, 2020 ). In the context of cognitive assessment with assistive robots, many works tend to focus on personality, emotions, and engagement as aspects of the user profile that the robot should take into account ( Sorrentino et al, 2021 ). For example, Tapus et al (2008 ) described a socially assisted robot therapist designed to monitor, assist, encourage, and socially interact with post-stroke users engaged in rehabilitation exercises.…”

“…The video and audio of the administration sessions were recorded by the robot’s frontal camera. The recorded videos were off-line analyzed by the clinician to extract the quality of interaction (e.g., the number of robot’s repetition) with the robot and additional evidence of the cognitive decline (e.g., coherent and incoherent interaction) ( Sorrentino et al, 2021 ). Table 1 reports the complete list of extracted parameters.…”

Assessing Feasibility of Cognitive Impairment Testing Using Social Robotic Technology Augmented with Affective Computing and Emotional State Detection Systems

“…As reported by Liu et al [2], low-and middle-income countries face a lack of resources in delivering essential health services, and in 2020, the SARS-CoV2 pandemic exacerbated these needs. One possible solution is the development of assistive technologies that can help healthcare systems cope with these crises [2,[4][5][6]. This is also important given the fact that according to the WHO, the number of older adults > 60 years old will increase to up to 1.4 billion by 2030 and up to 2.1 billion by 2050.…”