An Autonomous Robot-to-Group Exercise Coach at a Senior Living Community: A Study in Human-Robot Interaction

A NAO humanoid robot is programmed to act as an autonomous exercise instructor at a senior living community. In an on-site session, the robot does (i) a warm-up routine in which the robot directs participants to ask it to perform various tasks such as dancing and reciting poems and (ii) an exercise routine in which the robot guides participants through various physical exercises such as leg, hand, and neck exercises. The participants include six elderly residents, three nurses/caregivers, and two administrators. The elderly group is categorized with respect to cognitive awareness and physical capability. The session is videoed and then analyzed to measure several dimensions of human-robot interaction with these diverse participants, including affective reaction, effective reaction, and group responsiveness. Following the exercise session, a focus group session is conducted with the seniors and a separate focus group session conducted with the nurses and administrators to glean further data.