Questioning Items’ Link in Users’ Perception of a Training Robot for Elders

Abstract

Socially Assistive robots are becoming more common in modern society. These robots can accomplish a variety of tasks for people that are exposed to isolation and difficulties. Among those, elderly people are the largest part, and with them, robotics can play new roles. Elderly people are the ones who usually suffer a major technological gap, and it is worth evaluating their perception when dealing with robots. To this end, the present work addresses the interaction of elderly people during a training session with a humanoid robot. The analysis has been carried out by means of a questionnaire, using four key factors: Motivation, Usability, Likability, and Sociability. The results can contribute to the design and the development of social interaction between robots and humans in training contexts to enhance the effectiveness of human-robot interaction.