IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2023 - 4

F ROM THE ED I T O R ' S D E S K
Robotics Innovation for the Elderly
By Yi Guo
As I write this editorial, it is the beginning
of 2023. I would like to wish you and
your loved ones a happy and healthy new
year. We hope that 2023 will be a better
year. Year 2022 was difficult for those
in the war zone and those who struggled
with policies on the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic is at the back
of most people's minds in many countries,
as China abruptly abandoned its
zero-COVID policy, hospitals
in China became
overcrowded very quickly,
and the health-care
system has faced a major
stress test since December
2022. Sadly, among
t he most vu l nerable
populations, older adults
were hit badly and could
not get needed help in
time, which led to many
deaths. We need to take
care of the elderly and
work on robotics innovations
to assist them.
All around the world
"
facilities and nursing homes
were often understaffed, and
the turnover rate of staff at
these facilities was usually
higher than in other sectors.
Experts said that COVID
added a crisis on top of a
long-lasting crisis at nursing
homes, and a better system
would make it easier for most people to
age at home; one hopes
with help from technology
[1].
While most people
THEY TOLERATED
THE MECHANICAL
LOOK OF OUR LAB
ROBOT AND WAITED
PATIENTLY WHEN
THE ROBOT AND
SENSORS WERE
BEING CHARGED OR
OCCASIONALLY
MALFUNCTIONED.
older adults make up the
vast majority of people
who have died from
COVID. It was reported that nearly half
of all deaths from COVID-19 happened
in care and nursing homes across the
developed world [1]. When we examine
the reasons, we find that not only did
the living arrangements cause the virus
to spread more easily, but also the care
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2023.3237423
Date of current version: 22 March 2023
4
"
will need care as they
age, many older adults
value autonomy and
independence most of
all and would like to
remain in their home
for as long as possible.
There has been continuous
research effort on
monitoring sensors and
supporting devices (e.g.,
medication dispensers
and smart wheelchairs)
that help improve the
physical and menta l
health of the elderly. This
effort has been supported by funding
agencies around the world.
Funded by the Smart and Connected
Health program at U.S. National Science
Foundation, during the past few years,
my colleagues and I have been working
on an integrated robot and wearable
sensor system to support aging in
place for older adults. Within the scope
of our project, we tested our system at
IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE MARCH 2023
a senior center in New York
City, where adults aged 65 or
older attended activities and
exercise classes. In addition
to validating our algorithms,
we evaluated participant attitude
toward technology [2].
In contrast to the prominent
stereotype of the perceived
incompetence of older adults to engage
with various forms of technology, the
participants in our test showed a positive
attitude toward technology and would
generally welcome a robot at home or
a robot to help them exercise. They tolerated
the mechanical look of our lab
robot and waited patiently when the
robot and sensors were being charged or
occasionally malfunctioned. In addition
to validating our integrated system and
algorithms, through participant questionnaires,
we found that technophilia (the
love of technology) emerged as a significant
predictor of positive self-perception
of aging. My first-hand research experience
made me aware of the many technical
challenges involved in delivering
a capable and reliable robotic system in
real-world environments. I also became
aware of the expectations of the elderly
and felt the urgent need of technology
innovations to improve care for them.
This issue is a special issue (SI) on
home care robots. We assembled seven
featured articles that present innovative
robotics solutions to improve homecare.
IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine
(RAM) Associate Editor Weihua
(continued on page 97)
1070-9932/23©2023IEEE
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7158-351X
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2023

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