A Qualitative Approach for the Elderly's Needs in Service Robots Design

Abstract

Service robots will assist the elderly to live independently for long time and improve their quality of life. It is very important to know the older people's needs during product design. This study aims to portray real requirements of older adults to assistive service robots. A five-month qualitative study with 15 participants at a community was conducted to get data. The constant comparative method was used in the analysis interviews and observations. The results show that social, emotional, usability and attitudes of their children play a critical role in the usage of new products.