Robotic Solutions for Eldercare

Abstract

This paper seeks to study the capabilities of robotics to provide healthcare and support to an increasing elderly population. Two different types of robots, the TurtleBot 2 and NAO V5, are put in a variety of simulated eldercare scenarios to test their compatibility and performance. The robots will attempt to alert the elderly patient when it is time to take their medication and provide their daily dose. They will also monitor the patient's habits and attempt to locate them if they are not detected moving over a period of time. If the robot assesses that an emergency scenario is taking place, they will contact a human care provider. Future experiments are also proposed using real elderly people to test their satisfaction with the robots.