Home Robots for Older Adults and Their Caregivers: Identifying Deployment Requirements

Abstract

As the population of older adults grows, home robots may help address daily living challenges associated with mobility, cognitive change, health management, and social isolation. This study examined deployment requirements for assistive home robots from a human factors and ergonomics perspective by evaluating the Stretch mobile manipulator with older adults and community care staff in a simulated life-plan community apartment. Using demonstrations and semi-structured interviews, we assessed perceptions of usability, acceptance, and task relevance. Findings showed strong interest in support for safety, object retrieval, medication and hydration reminders, telehealth access, exercise adherence, and social connection. Participants emphasized design requirements critical to deployment, including intuitive multimodal interaction, reliable operation in unstructured home environments, personalization over time, and early stakeholder involvement. The results highlight how human-centered evaluation can identify deployment needs and guide the safe, effective integration of home robots to support independence, overall well-being, and quality of life among older adults.