Exploring the Viability of Socially Assistive Robots for At-Home Cognitive Monitoring: Potential and Limitations

The early detection of mild cognitive impairment, a condition of increasing impact in our aging society, is a challenging task with no established answer. One promising solution is the deployment of robotic systems and ambient assisted living technology in the houses of older adults for monitoring and assistance. In this work, we address and discuss a qualitative analysis on the feasibility and acceptability of a socially assistive robot (SAR) deployed in prospective users’ houses to monitor their cognitive capabilities through a set of digitalised neuropsychological tests and spot questions conveniently integrated within the robotic assistant’s daily tasks. We do this by describing an experimental campaign where a robotic system, integrated with a larger framework, was installed in the house of 10 users for a duration of at least 10 weeks, during which their cognitive capabilities were monitored by the robot. Concretely, the robots supervised the users during the completion of the tests and transparently monitored them by asking questions interleaved in their everyday activities. Results show a general acceptance of such technology, being able to carry out the intended tasks without being too invasive, paving the way for an impactful at-home use of SARs.