SBIR Phase I: Development of an Intelligent, Emotive, and Perceptive Socially Assistive Robot for Dementia Therapy

该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种社交机器人，它将为新一代栩栩如生的基于动画和情感智能的机器人的可行性和前景提供初步证据，这些机器人可以为患有认知障碍（例如痴呆症和AD）的人提供陪伴，并增加他们的幸福感和独立性。该项目的应用和潜在的社会和商业影响不仅限于人口老龄化和痴呆症治疗，还可以用于各种应用，如教室或家庭的科学、数学和阅读辅导、语言和言语治疗、自闭症治疗（如学区的特殊教育项目），甚至作为医院、博物馆、酒店和餐馆的门房和前台接待员。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将展示开发和部署情感智能光投射类生活对话机器人的可行性，以提高老年阿尔茨海默病患者的生活质量、自我效能和认知能力。阿尔茨海默病（AD）和痴呆症与其他老年人相比，患有阿尔茨海默病和其他痴呆症的老年人在医院、专业护理机构和家庭保健机构的住院时间明显更长。因此，在社会和我们的医疗保健系统中，找到高效、有效和负担得起的方法来提供护理并改善老年痴呆症患者的生活质量是一个关键和不断增长的需求。该项目将创造一种创新的、移情的社交机器人，它将参与辅助生活设施中的老年人的各种活动，包括练习、游戏，特别是与他们的兴趣和需求相关的自然口语对话。该项目通过集成计算机视觉、语音对话、角色动画和机器人头部运动技术的研究，扩展了当前社交机器人的能力，开发出一种情感智能和移情的机器人照顾者和伴侣。一项试点研究将与卫生保健从业人员和老年生活设施的住宅合作进行，以研究社交机器人如何自然有效地与老年人交流，并使他们参与治疗活动（例如蒙台梭利活动和间隔检索记忆护理技术），以及与机器人互动几周是否能提高他们的自我效能和幸福感。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the development of a social robot that will provide initial evidence for the feasibility and promise of a new generation of life-like animation-based and emotionally intelligent robots that provide companionship for individuals with cognitive disabilities (e.g. Dementia and AD) and increase their happiness and independence. The application and the potential societal and commercial impact of the project is not limited to aging population and dementia therapy and can be used in a variety of applications such as science, math & reading tutoring in classrooms or homes, language and speech therapy, autism therapy (e.g. special Ed programs in school districts), and even as concierges and front desk receptionists in hospitals, museums, hotels, and restaurants. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of developing and deploying of emotionally intelligent light-projected life-like conversational robots for improving the quality of life, self-efficacy and cognitive abilities of elderly individuals with Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and dementia. Older people with AD and other dementias have significantly more hospital stays, skilled nursing facility stays and home health care visits than other older people. There is thus a critical and growing demand in society and in our healthcare system to find efficient, effective and affordable ways to provide care and improve the quality of life of elderly individuals with dementia. This project will create an innovative, empathic social robot which will engage elderly individuals in assisted living facilities in a variety of activities, including exercises, games, and especially natural spoken dialogs that relevant to their interests and needs. The project extends the capabilities of current social robots through research that integrates computer vision, spoken dialog, character animation and robotic head movement technologies to develop an emotionally intelligent and empathic robotic caregiver and companion. A pilot study will be conducted, in collaboration with health care practitioners and residences of senior living facilities, to study how naturally and effectively the social robot communicates with elderly individuals and engages them in therapeutic activities (e.g. Montessori-based activities and Spaced Retrieval memory care techniques), and whether interacting with the robot over several weeks improves their self-efficacy and sense of well-being.