An Open-Source Socially Assistive Robot for Multisensory Healthcare Therapies

Abstract

Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) are a class of robots that are at an intersection between the class of assistive robots and that of interactive social robots. Besides providing some kind of assistance, SARs can provide user stimuli through interaction with the robot. SARs have been explored to assist in different healthcare therapies. This work is based on an open-source SAR called EVA. We have extended EVA’s capabilities for multimodal interaction and integration with light sensory effects. This paper presents our current research and future steps to use EVA for healthcare therapies.