Adapting a General-Purpose Social Robot for Paediatric Rehabilitation through in Situ Design

Abstract

Socially assistive robots (SARs) offer great promise for improving outcomes in paediatric rehabilitation. However, the design of software and interactive capabilities for SARs must be carefully considered in the context of their intended clinical use. While previous work has explored specific roles and functionalities to support paediatric rehabilitation, few have considered the design of such capabilities in the context of ongoing clinical deployment. In this article, we present a two-phase in situ design process for SARs in health care, emphasising stakeholder engagement and on-site development. We explore this in the context of developing the humanoid social robot NAO as a socially assist..