Social Effects of Robot Therapy in a Care House<br/>– Change of Social Network of the Residents for One Year –

Abstract

Robot therapy in the form of two seal robots was conducted for a year at a care house in Japan. Residents and robots interacted over 9 hours a day. To determine psychological and social robot influence, individual residents were interviewed using the “free pile sort” method and their social interaction was analyzed. After robot use was discontinued, follow-up showed that robots encouraged residents to communicate with each other and strengthen their individual ties during the year of robot use.