IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 61

raised [37]. Relying heavily on interview methods, audience reception is a group activity that prompts discussion around the meaning behind a video or media
presentation viewed by an audience [37].
As seniors are among the least represented group in
clinical studies, this research method allowed me to
reflect sentiments from the elderly about a rapidly evolving field that could directly impact their lives [38]. While
there is much attention focused on innovation and new
technology, there exists a gap in understanding about
how the elderly feel about robots, especially if a
machine replaces their human caregiver [11]-[18].
Through this project, I've come learn how these
elder citizens would feel about having a robot in their
lives. The robot could be used for entertainment, for
cleaning, for companionship, or perhaps as a caregiver.
After receiving ethical approval for my research project,
over a three-week period I met with three different
groups of residents in separate locations. Each group is
made up of between ten and fifteen men and women
over the age of 70. Before the sessions begin I explain
the purpose of my research, and have each participant
sign a waiver allowing their name, image, and comments to be used in a video documentary or printed

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article. Each videotaped session lasts about two hours,
after which I conduct individual interviews with five
specific participants. After undertaking an inductive
thematic analysis of the interviews, the resulting video
footage was then edited into a documentary titled
Close Enough to Care [7].
To open a discussion about caregiving robots, we
watched a short animated film about an elderly woman
who receives a robotic companion caregiver from her
absent son. The film is called Changing Batteries, and
depicts a story of how trust and friendship develop
between an elderly woman living in her own home, and
her new robotic caregiver [2]. In the end, the elderly
woman dies in her sleep, leaving her small friendly
robotic caregiver at a loss as to what to do. The little
robot resorts to placing batteries inside the woman's
apron anticipating it might lead to a revival. Unable to
bring the woman back to life, the robot is emotionally
devastated [2]. Audiences watching the film are sometimes drawn to tears at the conclusion of the story, but
the reception from these groups of seniors is different.
When the film ends there is applause instead of
tears. What really resonates with the audience is not
impending death, but the part about an adult child who
doesn't visit their aging parent, leaving caregiving to a
non-human. Using an ethnographic method of conducting open-ended interviews, I was able to encourage a
wide range of discussion. We not only explored the
meaning of the film, but also what life would be like
with a robotic caregiver instead of a real person.
Some in the audience shout, "How do I get myself
one of those (robots)?" and, "It's cute, I sure could use
one" [3].
"If they could put cream on my back like my caregiver does..." says another woman [3].
"It could do a lot, but I don't think you could get it to
do too much like pulling up stockings and things like
that" [3].
One of the men then adds "If it had a skirt on it, I'd
take it" [3].
"It looked like that little robot had a heart," says
another woman [3].
It's a good starting point for a conversation about
what may have seemed unthinkable when these residents were much younger. The questions I probe, just
like the fictitious woman in the film is: could they, or
would they ever consider having a robotic caregiver? I
also ask them what they think a robot could do for
then? How safe would they feel having a robot lift them
from a chair, and would they, or could they ever trust
a robot?
Each senior who watches the film receives some sort
of supportive living care. Some need help getting
dressed in the morning, or taking their pills. Some

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