Meet CARMEN, brief for Cognitively Assistive Robotic for Motivation and Neurorehabilitation-a small, tabletop robotic designed to assist individuals with gentle cognitive impairment (MCI) study abilities to enhance reminiscence, consideration, and govt performing at dwelling.
Not like different robots on this house, CARMEN was developed by the analysis staff on the College of California San Diego in collaboration with clinicians, individuals with MCI, and their care companions. To the most effective of the researchers’ data, CARMEN can be the one robotic that teaches compensatory cognitive methods to assist enhance reminiscence and govt operate.
“We wished to verify we had been offering significant and sensible innovations,” mentioned Laurel Riek, a professor of laptop science and emergency medication at UC San Diego and the work’s senior creator.
MCI is an in-between stage between typical growing older and dementia. It impacts varied areas of cognitive functioning, together with reminiscence, consideration, and govt functioning. About 20% of people over 65 have the situation, with as much as 15% transitioning to dementia every year. Present pharmacological remedies haven’t been in a position to sluggish or stop this evolution, however behavioral remedies will help.
Researchers programmed CARMEN to ship a sequence of straightforward cognitive coaching workout routines. For instance, the robotic can train members to create routine locations to go away essential objects, reminiscent of keys; or study word taking methods to recollect essential issues. CARMEN does this by way of interactive video games and actions.
The analysis staff designed CARMEN with a transparent set of standards in thoughts. It is vital that individuals can use the robotic independently, with out clinician or researcher supervision. Because of this, CARMEN needed to be plug and play, with out many shifting components that require upkeep. The robotic additionally has to have the ability to operate with restricted entry to the web, as many individuals don’t have entry to dependable connectivity. CARMEN wants to have the ability to operate over an extended time frame. The robotic additionally has to have the ability to talk clearly with customers; categorical compassion and empathy for an individual’s state of affairs; and supply breaks after difficult duties to assist maintain engagement.
Researchers deployed CARMEN for every week within the properties of a number of individuals with MCI, who then engaged in a number of duties with the robotic, reminiscent of figuring out routine locations to go away home items so they do not get misplaced, and inserting duties on a calendar so they will not be forgotten. Researchers additionally deployed the robotic within the properties of a number of clinicians with expertise working with individuals with MCI. Each teams of members accomplished questionnaires and interviews earlier than and after the week-long deployments.
After the week with CARMEN, members with MCI reported making an attempt methods and behaviors that they beforehand had written off as unattainable. All members reported that utilizing the robotic was straightforward. Two out of the three members discovered the actions straightforward to grasp, however one of many customers struggled. All mentioned they wished extra interplay with the robotic.
“We discovered that CARMEN gave members confidence to make use of cognitive methods of their on a regular basis life, and members noticed alternatives for CARMEN to exhibit larger ranges of autonomy or be used for different functions,” the researchers write.
The analysis staff introduced their findings on the ACM/IEEE Human Robotic Interplay (HRI) convention in March 2024, the place they obtained a greatest paper award nomination.
Subsequent steps
Subsequent steps embody deploying the robotic in a bigger variety of properties.
Researchers additionally plan to provide CARMEN the flexibility to have conversations with customers, with an emphasis on preserving privateness when these conversations occur. That is each an accessibility subject (as some customers may not have the advantageous motor abilities essential to work together with CARMEN’s contact display screen), in addition to as a result of most individuals anticipate to have the ability to have conversations with programs of their properties. On the similar time, researchers need to restrict how a lot info CARMEN can provide customers. “We need to be conscious that the person nonetheless must do the majority of the work, so the robotic can solely help and never give too many hints,” Riek mentioned.
Researchers are additionally exploring how CARMEN might help customers with different situations, reminiscent of ADHD.
The UC San Diego staff constructed CARMEN based mostly on the FLEXI robotic from the College of Washington. However they made substantial modifications to its {hardware}, and wrote all its software program from scratch. Researchers used ROS for the robotic’s working system.
Many parts of the mission can be found at https://github.com/UCSD-RHC-Lab/CARMEN