Chapter 6.3

Using Socially Assistive Human–Robot Interaction to Motivate Physical Exercise for Older Adults1

Juan Fasola,  and Maja J. Matarić     University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Abstract

In this chapter, we present the design, implementation, and user study evaluation of a socially assistive robot (SAR) system designed to engage elderly users in physical exercise aimed at achieving health benefits and improving quality of life. We discuss our design methodology, which incorporates insights from psychology research in the area of intrinsic motivation, and focuses on maintaining engagement through personalized social interaction. We describe two user studies conducted to test the motivation theory in practice with our system. ...

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