Tsukuba researchers design robot go-betweens to help older people share worries

A University of Tsukuba team led by Yohei Noguchi studied social mediator robots that relay messages between older adults and the people around them. A survey of 589 people aged 65 and over identified three preferred styles: asking for support, concealing the sender, and simply recording. In a follow-up experiment with 36 older participants, giving the robot these options considerably reduced anxiety about disclosing personal problems. The work, in the International Journal of Social Robotics, points to robots as social bridges rather than replacements for human contact.

Source: Medical Xpress