Exploring telepresence robots as mobility extensions for older adults

For many older adults, reduced mobility introduces challenges beyond physical activity. It can result in social isolation and limited access to public spaces, events, and community resources, which can have negative implications on health and well-being.

This project will explore the potential of Mobile Telepresence Robots (MTRs) to act as mobility extensions for older adults, helping them improve both social and physical mobility. A mixed-methods approach will enable qualitative exploration of MTRs and quantitative validation of emerging findings. A series of in-person, co-creative group sessions using MTRs as technology probes will be conducted to better understand older adults’ mobility limitations, potential use cases for MTRs, and concerns about MTR use. A follow-up survey will allow the testing of hypotheses emerging from these sessions.

This exploratory pilot will enable future studies that investigate the feasibility and desirability of MTRs for a variety of identified use cases and observe the social and interpersonal implications of MTR use. This research has the potential to validate an established, relatively inexpensive technology as a critical mobility extension for older adults.