The role of the physical embodiment of a music therapist robot for individuals with cognitive impairments: Longitudinal study

The world population is growing older. Global aging is occurring at a rate never seen before, it is expected that in 2040 there will be three times more people over the age 85 than there are today. Even if nursing homes and other care facilities can provide assistance, space and staff shortages are already becoming an issue. One of the aims of this work is to show the benefits of robot's physical embodiment in human-robot social interactions. The social therapist robot tries to provide customized cognitive stimulation by playing a music game with the participant. The results of the pilot study over a 6 month period depict a more efficient, natural, and preferred interaction with the robot rather than with the simulated robot.