“Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults

Physical and cognitive training can maintain and improve older adults’ independence and quality of life. Given the demographic growth of the older adult population and the shortage of caregivers, there is a need for personal trainers for physical and cognitive activities. This study suggests that so...

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Main Authors: Maya Krakovski, Shikhar Kumar, Shai Givati, Moshe Bardea, Oded Zafrani, Galit Nimrod, Simona Bar-Haim, Yael Edan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/14/6431
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spelling doaj-a8a56c1f3df543ce82bea7840cb412802021-07-23T13:29:35ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172021-07-01116431643110.3390/app11146431“Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older AdultsMaya Krakovski0Shikhar Kumar1Shai Givati2Moshe Bardea3Oded Zafrani4Galit Nimrod5Simona Bar-Haim6Yael Edan7Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and ABC Robotics Initiative, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Management and ABC Robotics Initiative, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Management and ABC Robotics Initiative, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Management and ABC Robotics Initiative, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Management and ABC Robotics Initiative, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Communication Studies and The Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Aging, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelPhysical Therapy Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Management and ABC Robotics Initiative, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelPhysical and cognitive training can maintain and improve older adults’ independence and quality of life. Given the demographic growth of the older adult population and the shortage of caregivers, there is a need for personal trainers for physical and cognitive activities. This study suggests that social robots can satisfy this demand and presents the development of “Gymmy”, a robotic system for the physical and cognitive training of older adults. The system design includes a humanoid mechanical-looking robot to demonstrate exercises, an RGB-Depth (RGB-D) camera to measure performance and a touch screen and speakers to provide instructions and feedback. Experiments with 26 older adults (65–84 years of age) were performed in home environments to examine the effect of users’ characteristics (age, gender, education and attitude toward robots), the addition of cognitive training and the success rate of the acceptability of a robot trainer. The results showed that age, attitude and education influenced the acceptance of the robotic system. The findings highlight the importance of customizing the system to the needs of different users and the role of meaningful feedback. The system was proven to be robust and reliable, demonstrating clear potential to be used as a personal trainer and as a means of motivating older adults.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/14/6431robotic trainerolder adultshuman–robot interactiontechnology acceptanceassistive robotsocial robot
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Maya Krakovski
Shikhar Kumar
Shai Givati
Moshe Bardea
Oded Zafrani
Galit Nimrod
Simona Bar-Haim
Yael Edan
spellingShingle Maya Krakovski
Shikhar Kumar
Shai Givati
Moshe Bardea
Oded Zafrani
Galit Nimrod
Simona Bar-Haim
Yael Edan
“Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults
Applied Sciences
robotic trainer
older adults
human–robot interaction
technology acceptance
assistive robot
social robot
author_facet Maya Krakovski
Shikhar Kumar
Shai Givati
Moshe Bardea
Oded Zafrani
Galit Nimrod
Simona Bar-Haim
Yael Edan
author_sort Maya Krakovski
title “Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults
title_short “Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults
title_full “Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults
title_fullStr “Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults
title_full_unstemmed “Gymmy”: Designing and Testing a Robot for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older Adults
title_sort “gymmy”: designing and testing a robot for physical and cognitive training of older adults
publisher MDPI AG
series Applied Sciences
issn 2076-3417
publishDate 2021-07-01
description Physical and cognitive training can maintain and improve older adults’ independence and quality of life. Given the demographic growth of the older adult population and the shortage of caregivers, there is a need for personal trainers for physical and cognitive activities. This study suggests that social robots can satisfy this demand and presents the development of “Gymmy”, a robotic system for the physical and cognitive training of older adults. The system design includes a humanoid mechanical-looking robot to demonstrate exercises, an RGB-Depth (RGB-D) camera to measure performance and a touch screen and speakers to provide instructions and feedback. Experiments with 26 older adults (65–84 years of age) were performed in home environments to examine the effect of users’ characteristics (age, gender, education and attitude toward robots), the addition of cognitive training and the success rate of the acceptability of a robot trainer. The results showed that age, attitude and education influenced the acceptance of the robotic system. The findings highlight the importance of customizing the system to the needs of different users and the role of meaningful feedback. The system was proven to be robust and reliable, demonstrating clear potential to be used as a personal trainer and as a means of motivating older adults.
topic robotic trainer
older adults
human–robot interaction
technology acceptance
assistive robot
social robot
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/14/6431
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