ROBOTS FOR THE ELDERLY? RESULTS FROM THE BERLIN AGING STUDY II WITH PERSONS OLDER THAN 60 YEARS

摘要

Our research focuses on the question of whether robotics could pose a promising strategy to support the independent living of elderly people whilst relieving relatives from their anxiety. Such a strategy could be the integration of robots into smart home environments. The question arises of how elderly people perceive the potential of robotics. As part of the Berlin Aging Study BASE-II (Bertram, Lars et al., International Journal of Epidemiology, 2014) we have investigated elderly people’s acceptance of robotics using a sample of participants aged older than 60 years (n=1463), as well as a comparative group of 20 - 30 year old participants (n= 241). The complexity of the data gathered, encompassing detailed socio-economic background characteristics as well as personality traits (such as the personal attitude to risk, the locus of control and the Big Five), proves as highly valuable and beneficial. Results show that participants’ expressions of resentment against robots are comparatively low considering, that participants’ personality traits statistically have a significant impact on the acceptance of robots in the household. Only 15 percent of participants encounter robots in the household with great scepticism. Participants aged older than 70 years, express greatest rejection of a robotic assistant, however the effect sizes account for only a few percentage points. Overall, a surprisingly great openness with regards to the usefulness of robots can be observed.