‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life
We analyzed the utilitarian and hedonic (playful) forms of engagement with a socially assistive robot (SAR) by dependent older people in a domestic environment. The case study involved seven users (73–88 years old, five women and two men) living in Barcelona with a certain degree of dependence. Part...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307825000013 |
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| author | Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol Andrea Rosales Rebeca Oliván |
| author_facet | Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol Andrea Rosales Rebeca Oliván |
| author_sort | Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We analyzed the utilitarian and hedonic (playful) forms of engagement with a socially assistive robot (SAR) by dependent older people in a domestic environment. The case study involved seven users (73–88 years old, five women and two men) living in Barcelona with a certain degree of dependence. Participants hosted the robot in their homes for two months, and their appropriation processes moved between utilitarian (practical) and playful (hedonic) approaches. Practical users expressed a goal-oriented relation with the robot. They were attached to existing interaction scripts, whereas playful users showed comparatively higher levels of experimentation, expressed more entertainment, and perceived more companionship, which positively related to attachment. Playful relationships appear to relate to higher levels of adoption and appropriation of the robot compared to utilitarian ones. The case study demonstrates diverse paths of appropriating a new robotic technology in agentic and varied ways, which helps overcome common stereotypical assumptions that depict (dependent) older individuals as merely passive receivers of such technologies. In terms of design, all participants requested more voice interaction opportunities. Finally, the robot should include personalized hedonic features as playful opportunities to foster adoption. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da5a17ac72fb471f90879cb79efe0188 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2950-3078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
| spelling | doaj-art-da5a17ac72fb471f90879cb79efe01882025-01-12T05:26:23ZengElsevierArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus2950-30782025-03-0121100119‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later lifeMireia Fernández-Ardèvol0Andrea Rosales1Rebeca Oliván2Open University of Catalonia, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya – Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences, Spain; Corresponding authorOpen University of Catalonia, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya – Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences, SpainIndependent scholarWe analyzed the utilitarian and hedonic (playful) forms of engagement with a socially assistive robot (SAR) by dependent older people in a domestic environment. The case study involved seven users (73–88 years old, five women and two men) living in Barcelona with a certain degree of dependence. Participants hosted the robot in their homes for two months, and their appropriation processes moved between utilitarian (practical) and playful (hedonic) approaches. Practical users expressed a goal-oriented relation with the robot. They were attached to existing interaction scripts, whereas playful users showed comparatively higher levels of experimentation, expressed more entertainment, and perceived more companionship, which positively related to attachment. Playful relationships appear to relate to higher levels of adoption and appropriation of the robot compared to utilitarian ones. The case study demonstrates diverse paths of appropriating a new robotic technology in agentic and varied ways, which helps overcome common stereotypical assumptions that depict (dependent) older individuals as merely passive receivers of such technologies. In terms of design, all participants requested more voice interaction opportunities. Finally, the robot should include personalized hedonic features as playful opportunities to foster adoption.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307825000013Socially Assistive Robots (SAR)Older adultsOlder old adultsAppropriation processesWizard of OzUtilitarian engagement |
| spellingShingle | Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol Andrea Rosales Rebeca Oliván ‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus Socially Assistive Robots (SAR) Older adults Older old adults Appropriation processes Wizard of Oz Utilitarian engagement |
| title | ‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life |
| title_full | ‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life |
| title_fullStr | ‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life |
| title_short | ‘–What time is it? –Twenty years past two.’ The role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life |
| title_sort | what time is it twenty years past two the role of utilitarian and playful engagement in robot appropriation in later life |
| topic | Socially Assistive Robots (SAR) Older adults Older old adults Appropriation processes Wizard of Oz Utilitarian engagement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307825000013 |
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