Social robots are becoming increasingly present in our daily lives and will continue to be integrated into society to help people with their daily routines. In this paper, we create a general motion dictionary for the NAO robot, to generate emotional gestures when the robot is interacting with humans. We implemented the motions in the context of a museum setting, wherein NAO interacts with visitors as a guide. We present a Motion Dictionary which integrates each gesture’s features and the corresponding emotions. By using the Choregraphe simulator to create the motions and validate them with a real robot, we intend to simplify and help with the generation of emotional gestures for human-robot interaction.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility and implementation, usability, acceptability and efficacy of virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) smartphone applications for upskilling care home workers in hand hygiene and to explore underlying learning mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Care homes in Northwest England were recruited. We took a mixed-methods and pre-test and post-test approach by analyzing uptake and completion rates of AR, immersive VR or non-immersive VR training, validated and bespoke questionnaires, observations, videos, and interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. Qualitative data were analyzed using a combined inductive and deductive approach. RESULTS: Forty-eight care staff completed AR training (n = 19), immersive VR training (n = 21), or non-immersive VR training (n = 8). The immersive VR and AR training had good usability with System Usability Scale scores of 84.40 and 77.89 (of 100), respectively. They had high acceptability, with 95% of staff supporting further use. The non-immersive VR training had borderline poor usability, scoring 67.19 and only 63% would support further use. There was minimal improved knowledge, with an average of 6% increase to the knowledge questionnaire. Average hand hygiene technique scores increased from 4.77 (of 11) to 7.23 after the training. Repeated practice, task realism, feedback and reminding, and interactivity were important learning mechanisms triggered by AR/VR. Feasibility and implementation considerations included managerial support, physical space, providing support, screen size, lagging Internet, and fitting the headset. CONCLUSIONS: AR and immersive VR apps are feasible, usable, and acceptable for delivering training. Future work should explore whether they are more effective than previous training and ensure equity in training opportunities.

Social robots are often critiqued as being too ‘robotic’ and unemotional. For affective human-robot interaction (HRI), robots must detect sentiment and express emotion and empathy in return. We explored the extent to which people can detect emotions, empathy and sentiment from speech expressed by a computer system, with a focus on changes in prosody (pitch, tone, volume) and how people identify sentiment from written text, compared to a sentiment analyzer. 89 participants identified empathy, emotion and sentiment from audio and text embedded in a survey. Empathy and sentiment were best expressed in the audio, while emotions were the most difficult detect (75%, 67% and 42% respectively). We found moderate agreement (70%) between the sentiment identified by the participants and the analyzer. There is potential for computer systems to express affect by using changes in prosody, as well as analyzing text to identify sentiment. This may help to further develop affective capabilities and appropriate responses in social robots, in order to avoid ‘robotic’ interactions. Future research should explore how to better express negative sentiment and emotions, while leveraging multi-modal approaches to HRI.

Participatory design includes stakeholders in the development of products intended to solve real-life challenges. Involving end users in the design of robots is vital for developing effective, useful, acceptable and user-friendly products that meet expectations, needs, and preferences. This four-year international project developed and evaluated a home-based robot for mood stabilization and cognitive improvement in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and age-related health needs. The daily-care robot was developed in collaboration with experts, carers, relatives, and older adults, through six phases. Two phases were dedicated to cognitive stimulation games. This paper provides a summary of the participatory design and mixed-methods evaluation processes undertaken to develop, refine, and test the robot. The final robot and games were acceptable to older adults, and useful for delivering stimulating activities and providing reminders for medication, health and wellbeing checks. Personalization is required to optimize human-robot interaction, and imagery and speech should be consistent with local users. Functions should be personalizable to accommodate individual health needs and preferences. This project highlights the importance of participatory design and testing robotics in end-user environments, as technical issues associated with long-term use were uncovered. Recommendations for future development and the design of assistive health robots are made.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to identify smartphone apps that support hand hygiene practice and to assess their content, technical and functional features, and quality. A secondary objective was to make design and research recommendations for future apps. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the UK Google Play and Apple App stores for hand hygiene smartphone apps aimed at adults. Information regarding content, technical and functional features was extracted and summarized. Two raters evaluated each app, using the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionality score and the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). RESULTS: A total of 668 apps were identified, with 90 meeting the inclusion criteria. Most (96%) were free to download. The majority (78%) intended to educate or inform or remind users to hand wash (69%), using behavior change techniques such as personalization and prompting practice. Only 20% and 4% named a best practice guideline or had expert involvement in development, respectively. Innovative means of engagement were used in 42% (eg, virtual or augmented reality or geolocation-based reminders). Apps included an average of 2.4 out of 10 of the IMS functionality criteria (range, 0-8). The mean MARS score was 3.2 ± 0.5 out of 5, and 68% had a minimum acceptability score of 3. Two had been tested or trialed. CONCLUSIONS: Although many hand hygiene apps exist, few provide content on best practice. Many did not meet the minimum acceptability criterion for quality or were formally trialed or tested. Research should assess the feasibility and effectiveness of hand hygiene apps (especially within healthcare settings), including when and how they "work." We recommend that future apps to support hand hygiene practice are developed with infection prevention and control experts and align with best practice. Robust research is needed to determine which innovative methods of engagement create "sticky" apps.

Cognitive stimulation games delivered on robots may be able to improve cognitive functioning and delay decline in older adults. However, little is known about older adults’ in-depth opinions of robot-delivered games, as current research primarily focuses on technical development and one-off use. This article explores the usability, acceptability, and perceptions of community-dwelling older adults towards cognitive games delivered on a robot that incorporated movable interactive blocks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants at the end of a 12-week cognitive stimulation games intervention delivered entirely on robots. Participants were 10 older adults purposively sampled from two retirement villages. A framework analysis approach was used to code data to predefined themes related to technology acceptance (perceived benefits, satisfaction, and preference), and usability (effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction). Results indicated that cognitive games delivered on a robot may be a valuable addition to existing cognitive stimulation activities. The robot was considered easy to use and useful in improving cognitive functioning. Future developments should incorporate interactive gaming tools, the use of social anthropomorphic robots, contrasting colour schemes to accommodate macular degeneration, and cultural-specific imagery and language. This will help cater to the preferences and age-related health needs of older adults, to ultimately enhance usability and acceptability.