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. 2017 Jun 30:8:950.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00950. eCollection 2017.

Affective and Engagement Issues in the Conception and Assessment of a Robot-Assisted Psychomotor Therapy for Persons with Dementia

Natacha Rouaix  1 , Laure Retru-Chavastel  2 , Anne-Sophie Rigaud  2   3   4   5 , Clotilde Monnet  2   3   4 , Hermine Lenoir  2   3   4 , Maribel Pino  2   3   4
Affiliations

Affective and Engagement Issues in the Conception and Assessment of a Robot-Assisted Psychomotor Therapy for Persons with Dementia

Natacha Rouaix et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The interest in robot-assisted therapies (RAT) for dementia care has grown steadily in recent years. However, RAT using humanoid robots is still a novel practice for which the adhesion mechanisms, indications and benefits remain unclear. Also, little is known about how the robot's behavioral and affective style might promote engagement of persons with dementia (PwD) in RAT. The present study sought to investigate the use of a humanoid robot in a psychomotor therapy for PwD. We examined the robot's potential to engage participants in the intervention and its effect on their emotional state. A brief psychomotor therapy program involving the robot as the therapist's assistant was created. For this purpose, a corpus of social and physical behaviors for the robot and a "control software" for customizing the program and operating the robot were also designed. Particular attention was given to components of the RAT that could promote participant's engagement (robot's interaction style, personalization of contents). In the pilot assessment of the intervention nine PwD (7 women and 2 men, M age = 86 y/o) hospitalized in a geriatrics unit participated in four individual therapy sessions: one classic therapy (CT) session (patient- therapist) and three RAT sessions (patient-therapist-robot). Outcome criteria for the evaluation of the intervention included: participant's engagement, emotional state and well-being; satisfaction of the intervention, appreciation of the robot, and empathy-related behaviors in human-robot interaction (HRI). Results showed a high constructive engagement in both CT and RAT sessions. More positive emotional responses in participants were observed in RAT compared to CT. RAT sessions were better appreciated than CT sessions. The use of a social robot as a mediating tool appeared to promote the involvement of PwD in the therapeutic intervention increasing their immediate wellbeing and satisfaction.

Keywords: control software; dementia; engagement; geriatrics; psychomotor therapy; social robots.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of social robots. (A) PARO (AIST, Japan); (B) NAO (Softbank robotics, Japan); and (C) PALRO (Fujisoft, Japan).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Example of RAT interactive scenario.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Diagram of the system and principles of operation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Screen capture of the main control interface.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Detail of the control tab for the “Introduction” section.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Music settings manager and Audio settings manager.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Robot-assisted psychomotor therapy sessions. (A) Introduction, (B) motor section (C) cognitive Stimulation, (D) body expression section and (E) conclusion.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Emotional engagement in CT and RAT sessions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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