scholarly journals AIR-Act2Act: Human–human interaction dataset for teaching non-verbal social behaviors to robots

2021 ◽  
pp. 027836492199067
Author(s):  
Woo-Ri Ko ◽  
Minsu Jang ◽  
Jaeyeon Lee ◽  
Jaehong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Social Behaviors ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Microsoft Kinect ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Interaction Dataset ◽  
Humanoid Nao

To better interact with users, a social robot should understand the users’ behavior, infer the intention, and respond appropriately. Machine learning is one way of implementing robot intelligence. It provides the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience instead of explicitly telling the robot what to do. Social skills can also be learned through watching human–human interaction videos. However, human–human interaction datasets are relatively scarce to learn interactions that occur in various situations. Moreover, we aim to use service robots in the elderly care domain; however, there has been no interaction dataset collected for this domain. For this reason, we introduce a human–human interaction dataset for teaching non-verbal social behaviors to robots. It is the only interaction dataset that elderly people have participated in as performers. We recruited 100 elderly people and 2 college students to perform 10 interactions in an indoor environment. The entire dataset has 5,000 interaction samples, each of which contains depth maps, body indexes, and 3D skeletal data that are captured with three Microsoft Kinect v2 sensors. In addition, we provide the joint angles of a humanoid NAO robot which are converted from the human behavior that robots need to learn. The dataset and useful Python scripts are available for download at https://github.com/ai4r/AIR-Act2Act . It can be used to not only teach social skills to robots but also benchmark action recognition algorithms.

scholarly journals Service robots: value co-creation and co-destruction in elderly care networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Čaić ◽  
Gaby Odekerken-Schröder ◽  
Dominik Mahr
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Value Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Value Network ◽  
Assistive Robots ◽  
Socially Assistive Robots

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential roles for service robots (i.e. socially assistive robots) in value networks of elderly care. Taking an elderly person’s perspective, it defines robot roles according to their value co-creating/destroying potential for the elderly user (i.e. focal actor), while acknowledging consequences for a network of users around the elderly (i.e. network actors). Design/methodology/approach This qualitative, interpretative study employs in-depth phenomenographic interviews, supported by generative cards activities (i.e. Contextual Value Network Mapping), to elicit an elderly person’s tacit knowledge and anticipate the effects of introducing an automated actor on institutionalized value co-creation practices. Findings The proposed typology identifies six roles of socially assistive robots in an elderly person’s value network (enabler, intruder, ally, replacement, extended self, and deactivator) and links them to three health-supporting functions by robots: safeguarding, social contact, and cognitive support. Research limitations/implications Elderly people have notable expectations about the inclusion of a socially assistive robot as a new actor in their value networks. The identified robot roles inform service scholars and managers about both the value co-destruction potential that needs to be avoided through careful designs and the value co-creation potential that should be leveraged. Originality/value Using network-conscious phenomenographic interviews before the introduction of a novel value proposition sheds new light on the shifting value co-creation interplay among value network actors (i.e. elderly people, formal and informal caregivers). The value co-creation/destruction potential of socially assistive robots and their corresponding roles in care-based value networks offer insights for the design of meaningful robotic technology and its introduction into the existing service networks.

scholarly journals Knowledge Provision Model Through Distance Learning Method for Promoting Quality of Life of the Elderly in Rural Areas of Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Sumalee Sungsri
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Relationship ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
The World ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

Thailand is becoming an elderly society like many countries in the world. The number of elderly people is increasing continuously every year. In order to enable the elderly to live with good quality of life in the rapidly changing society, knowledge and information related to their health and living factors are considered to be necessary for them. Therefore, this study was carried out in order to develop a model of knowledge provision for promoting quality of life of the elderly in rural areas of the country. The samples were drawn from every region of the country which included 480 elderly people, 480 elderly caretakers, and 160 people representing the community leaders, community committee members and staff of local government agencies. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed for data collection. The study found that there were five areas of knowledge for promoting quality of life of the elderly: physical health, mental health, social relationship, economic, and learning. The model of knowledge provision to the elderly synthesized from the study could enable the elderly to gain necessary knowledge deemed useful for promoting their quality of life. The elderly, the elderly care caretakers and related people were found to be satisfied with the model.

scholarly journals The Enigma of Gender Differences in an Environment-Behavior-Health Model of Elderly People: The Choice Between Individually and Sociality

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3483
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Zheng ◽  
Junling Gao ◽  
Ye Yang
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Ecology ◽  
Social Behaviors ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Elderly Males ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Behavior Health

Gender difference in the health of elderly people has become an important perspective to consider when studying their health. However, the gender differences in terms of “environment–behavior–health” from the social ecology perspective remain unknown. On the basis of survey data from Shanghai, China, including 2839 samples, this study explored the gender differences of outdoor environment–behavior–activity ability in elderly people from two aspects of the mean value of variables and the path relationship, utilizing the structural equation model analysis method combined with social ecology theory. The results showed that, at the level of the mean of variables, the elderly males had significantly higher mean values than the females in terms of individual behaviors, but had significantly lower values in terms of social behaviors. At the level of path relationships, there were similarities in that the health of elderly males was more likely to be affected by individual factors, whereas that of the females was more effected by social factors. Through the great positive effect of the high-level social behaviors, the health of the elderly females was progressively promoted. The study provided some useful insights for future research, aiming at promoting gender-sensitive urban design.

scholarly journals Should the family or the state provide support for the elderly people? Findings from a two-generational Finnish study

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 138-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti O. Tanskanen ◽  
Johanna Kallio ◽  
Mirkka Danielsbacka
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The State ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Opinions ◽  
The Family ◽  
Nationally Representative

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate public opinions towards elderly care. The authors analysed respondents’ opinions towards financial support, practical help and care for elderly people. Design/methodology/approach The authors used nationally representative data collected in Finland in 2012. Respondents represent an older generation (born between 1945 and 1950, n=1,959) and their adult children (born between 1962 and 1993, n=1,652). Findings First, the authors compared the opinions of older and younger Finns but did not find that older adults were more likely than younger adults support the state responsibility, or vice versa. It was also when only actual parent-child dyads (n=779) from same families were included. Next, the authors found that several socioeconomic and family-related variables were associated with public opinions of elderly care in both generations. For instance, in both generations lower-income individuals supported the state’s responsibility more compared to their better-off counterparts. Originality/value The study provides important knowledge on attitudes towards elderly care using unique two-generational data of younger and older adults.

How Politico-Economic Systems Shape Individuals’ Value of Elderly Care: Evidence From the German Reunification

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freya Diederich ◽  
Hans-Helmut König ◽  
Christian Brettschneider
Keyword(s):  
Economic System ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Care For The Elderly ◽  
Average Marginal Effects ◽  
Social Market

Abstract Background and Objectives Perceptions of how societies should care for the elderly people can differ among countries. This study examines to what extent individuals’ value of informal care is shaped by the politico-economic system in which they grew up and if this value adjusts once an individual lives in a different politico-economic system. Research Design and Methods We use data from the German Family Panel and take advantage of the unique setting of the German separation and reunification. Probit models are used to examine the effect of being born in East Germany on individuals’ value of informal care relative to employment at different birth cohorts and survey waves (N = 14,093). Average marginal effects are calculated. Results Twenty years after reunification, East Germans who spent their adolescence under communism exhibit a higher value of informal care relative to employment than West Germans who grew up in a western social market economy. Differences in values between East and West Germans do not significantly converge over time. Discussion and Implications Individuals’ value of informal care is deeply shaped by the politico-economic system in which they grew up. If immigration policies are introduced to increase the care for elderly people, differences in individuals’ cultural perceptions of elderly care should be considered as these will not suddenly adjust.

scholarly journals Robots responding to care needs? A multitasking care robot pursued for 25 years, available products offer simple entertainment and instrumental assistance

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-256
Author(s):  
Lina Van Aerschot ◽  
Jaana Parviainen
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Care Robots ◽  
Ethics Research ◽  
Human Care ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable

Abstract Twenty-five years ago, robotics guru Joseph Engelberger had a mission to motivate research teams all over the world to design the ‘Elderly Care Giver’, a multitasking personal robot assistant for everyday care needs in old age. In this article, we discuss how this vision of omnipotent care robots has influenced the design strategies of care robotics, the development of R&D initiatives and ethics research on use of care robots. Despite the expectations of robots revolutionizing care of older people, the role of robots in human care has remained marginal. The value of world trade in service robots, including care robots, is rather small. We argue that the implementation of robots in care is not primarily due to negative user attitudes or ethical problems, but to problems in R&D and manufacturing. The care robots currently available on the market are capable of simple, repetitive tasks or colloquial interaction. Thus far, also research on care robots is mostly conducted using imaginary scenarios or small-scale tests built up for research purposes. To develop useful and affordable robot solutions that are ethically, socially and ecologically sustainable, we suggest that robot initiatives should be evaluated within the framework of care ecosystems. This implies that attention has to be paid to the social, emotional and practical contexts in which care is given and received. Also, the political, economic and ecological realities of organizing care and producing technological commodities have to be acknowledged. It is time to openly discuss the drivers behind care robot initiatives to outline the bigger picture of organizing care under conditions of limited resources.

Supporting a Virtual Community for the Elderly

2011 ◽  
pp. 428-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis M. Camarinha-Matos ◽  
Filipa Ferrada
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Community Concept ◽  
Human Actors

An important application context for virtual communities is elderly care. One of the key challenges facing modern societies is the increasing speed at which the population is aging. In Europe, for example, during the last three decades the number of people aged 60 years or more has risen by about 50%. Traditional approaches to care provision are based on support from either the relatives or the elderly care centers. Nevertheless, these two solutions have become increasingly insufficient due to (1) the impractical responsibility onto relatives¾given the fact that more and more family members have to work to secure steady incomes; (2) the costs of providing sufficient care centers, which leads to a relocation of the elderly people, often beyond their home communities; and (3) the fact that many elderly people preserve enough robustness to be in their homes, a situation that is often preferable to them, and as such, better for their welfare (Castolo, Ferrada, & Camarinha-Matos, 2004). This will inevitably place a considerable strain on resources and finances. To deal with this challenge, new ways of providing elderly assistance and care must be found, including the creation of a new technological infrastructure. An integrated elderly care system comprises a number of organizations, such as social security institutions, care centers/day centers, health care institutions and so forth, and involves the cooperation of a number of different human actors; for example, social care assistants, health care professionals, the elderly people and their relatives. If supported by computer networks and adequate assistance tools, such systems may evolve towards operating as a long-term virtual organization, and the various involved actors become part of a virtual community. Furthermore, virtual communities can bring the sense of community and of recognition, respect and belonging, which gives the elderly a strong feeling of usefulness along with better support for their own needs. In this context, the IST TeleCARE project (Camarinha-Matos & Afsarmanesh, 2002, 2004) was launched with the aim of designing and developing a configurable framework, based on mobile (software) agents, focused on the establishment of virtual communities for elderly support. In this article, the TeleCARE Time Bank virtual community concept is presented and the developed supporting infrastructure is discussed.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Socio Demographic Characteristics of Disability in Older Adults in China Retrospective Study: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35
Author(s):  
Hamidah Retno Wardani
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Northern China ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
P Value ◽  
Disability Rate

Introduction: Illness, injury and aging are the main causes of disability in the elderly, elderly people with disabilities experience economic and health stresses, and may also experience mental and psychological distress, and other life difficulties. The aim of this study was to clarify the prevalence and socio-demographic characteristics of disability in the elderly. Elderly care is a concern of the whole community. Method: The research method used is a retrospective study, namely research (survey) where the design is used to provide information related to the prevalence, distribution and relationships between variables in a population. Result: The bivariate relationship between the level of disability in the elderly according to sex, area, age, social status and in different cities was analyzedwith P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The disability rate in adults is 7.0%. Disability rates were significantly higher in women than men, significantly higher in rural areas than urban areas, and higher in northern China than southern China. The urban disability rate ranges from 5.7% to 1.2%. The difference is statistically significant, with Beijing having the highest disability rate and Shanghai the lowest. Defects increase with age. Conclusion: This study shows that the rate of disability among elderly people in northern China is significantly higher than in southern China

scholarly journals Computer Vision for Elderly Care Based on Hand Gestures

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munir Oudah ◽  
Ali Al-Naji ◽  
Javaan Chahl
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Microsoft Kinect ◽  
Depth Sensor ◽  
Hand Gestures ◽  
Natural Interaction ◽  
Kinect V2 ◽  
Hand Segmentation ◽  
Care Of Elderly ◽  
Joint Tracking

Hand gestures may play an important role in medical applications for health care of elderly people, where providing a natural interaction for different requests can be executed by making specific gestures. In this study we explored three different scenarios using a Microsoft Kinect V2 depth sensor then evaluated the effectiveness of the outcomes. The first scenario utilized the default system embedded in the Kinect V2 sensor, which depth metadata gives 11 parameters related to the tracked body with five gestures for each hand. The second scenario used joint tracking provided by Kinect depth metadata and depth threshold together to enhance hand segmentation and efficiently recognize the number of fingers extended. The third scenario used a simple convolutional neural network with joint tracking by depth metadata to recognize five categories of gestures. In this study, deaf-mute elderly people execute five different hand gestures to indicate a specific request, such as needing water, meal, toilet, help and medicine. Then, the requests were sent to the care provider&rsquo;s smartphone because elderly people could not execute any activity independently. The system transferred these requests as a message through the global system for mobile communication (GSM) using a microcontroller.

scholarly journals State responsibility in caring for elderly people

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Nahid Ferdousi
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Senior Citizens ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Private And Public

Elderly is an obvious reality and last stage of human life cycle. In practice, most of the elderly people in our country suffer from some basic human problems, such as poor financial support, absence of proper health and medicine facilities, family negligence, deprivation, and socioeconomic insecurity. Moreover, there are no separate facilities for the old people in public transports, at ticket counters, banks and hospitals etc. In both private and public hospitals, there are no separate geriatrics departments for elderly care. It is the responsibility of the society to give these elderly people      priorities in getting all civic services, including hospitals, banks, offices and courts. In Bangladesh, there are resource constraints, capacity problems, infrastructural   weaknesses, education deficiencies, and poor attitudes and expectations in relation to caring for elderly people. Elderly people mostly suffer from some physical illness and they need comprehensive medical care services. Provision of health care for elderly people at various sites such as hospitals, nursing homes, old age homes and other places of shelter should be within the umbrella of legislative protection of rights and effective legal redress mechanism should be in place to guard against violations of rights. It is an ethical and moral responsibility to extend best care towards senior citizens so that they can pass their ending days of life with respect, proper care, and security. There is need to establish standards for service care providers, including in-home, community-based and residential settings. Every social policy should include a policy of active aging for elderly population. In addition, concerned personnel should assist the senior citizens so that they can enjoy their legal rights properly.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document