SERROGA

Service robotics promise high potential for improving the life of the elderly, in particular supporting a self-determined life-style even at higher age. In order to achieve acceptance from this user group, we must provide services compliant with their specific needs and wishes.

As an example, a survey conducted by VDE (german Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies) regarding service robotics scenarios that are deemed valuable by elderly, considerable acceptance was found for a “health” robot in the broader sense providing health monitoring, giving reminders for medication, birthdays or appointments, motivating for health provisions, helping to keep in touch with friends and relatives, reading newspapers or poems, managing  notes and shopping lists, and serving the role of a fitness coach.

This finding is the context for the aims of the SERROGA project, developing a robot-based health assistance service. Using demonstrators in the roles of “communication assistant”, “motion motivation” and “reminder service”, various combinations of the aforementioned specifications are implemented.

The scope of the project does not only comprise the development and realization of these demonstrators, but also long-term test operation in direct contact with end users, in particular elderly requiring assistance, their family (informal caregivers) as well as staff in ambulant and stationary care facilities. These long-term tests will help identify and improve factors of influence for such a robot-based health assistance service.