- Let's talk about people-centred robotics
- ‘Let’s talk about People-Centred Robotics’ Cards
- Guidance on using the cards. Use them to surface and discuss issues related to Responsible Research and Innovation of intelligent technologies in health and social care
- Guidance on using the cards. Use them to ideate or re-design technologies or services
- Credits
- It would help to have a broader picture but hospital is not the best place to get it
- We don't know our patients and often only first meet them when things have gone wrong
- What about other home technologies? How could a sensing and reporting walker help? Or sensors that could report/remind when the kettle has boiled? Or sensors that could report whether individuals are sleeping well/spending a lot of time in bed?
- It's rarely just about the symptom we are here to treat - people are like complex eco-systems with all kinds of interlinked internal and external factors in play
- Having more information about the patients available before they arrive could be useful and could also help with prediction and prevention but there are ethical implications
- To be able to provide holistic care, those involved (patient, community, unpaid carers, GPs, paid carers, family, hospital..) need to be able to share information. There is currently no feedback loop to allow this to happen.
- We don't know if we provided the right care and older patients are reticent to update us. Could telepresence robotics help with this?
- Could robots facilitate better communication?
- Is a change of focus necessary? We've mostly been looking at preventing and slowing frailty but ultimately you can't stop it - maybe we should be looking more at possibilities for palliative care?
- End of life care is often unpleasant, mentally and physically exhausting work - how can robots ease the burden on paid or unpaid carers?
- How can robots allow people to live the final period of their lives with as much dignity and quality of life as possible? Can robots do the heavy lifting to allow humans to do more care/self-care?
- Loneliness and isolation can be huge problems for people living with frailty and their carers
- Failing memory can be a problem in many different ways. Short term memory loss - what do I need to do today? Long term memory loss - I don't recognise the people in these photos. Memory loss can play cruel tricks on people
- People with lived experience of frailty need day to day help with things such as lifting, bending, finding lost items and organisation. It's hard holding on to everything physically and mentally
- People with lived experience of frailty need help dealing with unpredictable events such as a cost of living crisis or a pandemic. The impact of Covid-19 cannot be overstated
- Individuals need to assemble "tools" to prepare for future frailty. Not the best metaphor - what about loss of dexterity?
- Some come from a point of curiosity and concern about robots. How can technology help people who don't "do tech", don't understand it and feel they shouldn't have to?
- The world that we hear about from the media is scary and the older you get, the less control you have. Remote controls can be confusing.
- Fear has many facets and knock-ons. Fear of being "thrown on the scrap heap", being considered a liability, a has-been or incapable. Fear of failure, shame, stigma and of being a burden to society. Fear of falling, forgetting. Fear of crime. Fear of looking (or being treated as) stupid.
- The world seems to be designed by and for people who have grown up with touchscreens, apps, updates etc with more and more options for communication moving online.
- Feelings of guilt and shame lead to negative thoughts and increased feelings of not wanting to be a burden. In many cases, there is also grief for lost skills.
- There are many simple "nuts and bolts" issues with technology. Buttons too small to be seen, letters too small to be pressed, controls too low to be reached and nothing comes with a paper manual anymore. This can make technology frustrating and impractical - an enemy?
- Negative feelings get bottled up and can explode as rage
- People with lived experience of frailty also experience relationship problems, loss of mobility & motivation, anxiety, stress, depression, poor diet, health decline and isolation.
- Individuals sometimes choose not to use technology that could be helpful to them because they feel that people treat them differently when they do.
- When asked if robots could help, individuals raised concerns about spying and stated they would want to be able to turn the device off
- Robots could be useful as reminders
- Robots could be useful in helping people to stay connected but help to navigate platforms etc would also be helpful
- Autonomous cars or mobility scooters you can summon on demand would save on expenses and space demands of private ownership
- Keep it simple
- Baths and toilets are obvious areas of hazard and difficulty for people living with frailty
- Maybe showers could identify parts that require an extra blast and use facial recognition & preferences/data to offer a tailored service? Ethical implications?
- When thinking about applications for assistive robots, it's easy to think in simplistic terms of problem -> solution
- We started by acknowledging that robots can not do everything as there are so many tasks.
- Vacuuming is a nightmare so a robo-vacuum should be great but will it empty itself or plug itself in?
- Robots could help with tasks around memory such as management of medication and meal reminders
- The dishwasher paradox. The helpful device that causes problems...It's a great idea but it doesn't load itself and it takes a week for one person to fill it by which point it stinks and all the food is dried on.
- Where there are tasks that a human needs to perform in order for a robot to work for them then this can be a chocolate teapot scenario if the user is unable to handle those tasks.
- Cooking is an effort for people living with frailty which can lead to hazards, poor diet, low energy, low self esteem, poor health...
- A wider discussion about the nature of getting older and particularly solitary living included comments about how there is more effort involved, more hazards to be aware of and less incentive to get up and out and about
- Small problems add up and snowball and your world shrinks as the snowball gets bigger.
- People living with frailty can experience a spiral of despondence leading to thoughts such as "What's the point?"
- Private ownership of robots for all the tasks they'd be good for is problematic
- Pets can help with loneliness but come with their own problems and aren't allowed in most shared accommodations
- Motability scooters are a lifeline but aren't allowed in most shared accommodations due to a battery fire risk
- A robo-friend who has your back and chivvies you on, connects you with others and knows when something is wrong and acts on it could be a bridge to more independence but would not be a solution to all problems. What about communal robots that come to you?
- All these robots for different tasks but most people living with frailty have small living spaces
- Individuals don't want to have to rejig their homes in order to suit robots
- What happens when an individual using assistive robotic solutions moves house? Should they incur extra costs? Removing and reinstalling robots is a specialised job
- A versatile "Swiss Army Robot" would be useful
- Mental health is the elephant in the room
- Reminders about medication, diet and exercise are useful
- Could robots help with regular health checks and help plan for the future?
- People living with frailty need help with heavy lifting (and tucking in corners!)
- Heat the person, not the home...Can a robot help to keep people warm without increasing bills?
- We need to talk poo! Women can now access tampons in public toilets but where can older individuals find incontinence pads? How can individuals find the nearest open toilets with changing facilities? Can robots help with leaks and spills or with finding the loo at night?
- Technology changes all the time which can be baffling and scary
- Physical and online safety and home and outside are a worry for people living with frailty
- So maybe we want some kind of robotic fairy godmother fixing problems and encouraging you/looking out for you?
- Maybe we want a robutler that can update all house software, manage calls and make meals?
- Existing platforms such as Amazon's Alexa already do a lot of the tasks that robots could do so why do we need more robots?