Can a home robot help older adults with dementia? Hello Robot gets nearly $3 million to find out

Remembering daily tasks, finding everyday objects and keeping up with routines can become challenging for older adults with cognitive impairment. Hello Robot wants to explore whether a mobile robot can help with these everyday needs, with nearly $3 million in federal research funding supporting its work with older adults and their caregivers, as per a report.

The company has received a three year Phase IIB Small Business Innovation Research grant from National Institute on Aging, part of National Institutes of Health. The project will examine how its Stretch robot could support people with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s dementia in their homes & care settings, according to a Robotics & Automation News report.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is Hello Robot’s research partner. The project began on September 22 this year and is expected to run through May 2029.

How Stretch Could Help With Everyday Tasks

The project called “Stretching their Reach: Robotic Support for Older Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer’s Dementia,” will examine three areas: cognitive assistance, social engagement and safety management.

Researchers will explore whether Stretch can provide reminders, guide people through activities and help them locate everyday objects. They will also investigate whether it can initiate interactions to support social engagement and assist with daily routines involving mobility, hydration and other needs.

The study will use Stretch 4, Hello Robot’s newest model, introduced in May. It combines a compact mobile base, a lightweight telescoping arm, artificial intelligence and user interfaces designed for everyday environments.

The research team plans to build on advances in AI-powered language, planning, perception and voice interaction to expand the robot’s capabilities. Whether these features can provide useful and reliable assistance will be assessed during the project.

Researchers Will Test the Robot in Homes and Care Facilities

The study will involve 60 older adults, family care partners and professional care staff in participatory design research. Researchers will use their input to explore how Stretch could fit into everyday life and support independence.

Initial testing will take place at the University of Illinois’ McKechnie Family LIFE Home, a research facility designed to help evaluate technologies in a home environment.

The team will also conduct extended evaluations in homes and care settings. Home evaluations will involve older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and their care partners. In professional care settings, staff will use Stretch over an eight-week period.

Researchers will assess the robot’s effectiveness, usability, reliability, trust, acceptance and ability to operate safely around older adults. The results will help identify the practical requirements for using assistive robots in homes and professional care environments.

The Research Will Also Focus on Caregivers

The project aims to explore how Stretch could support older adults while providing meaningful assistance to family members and professional caregivers.

Dr. Aaron Edsinger, chief executive and co-founder of Hello Robot, and Dr. Wendy A. Rogers of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are the principal investigators. The team also includes Dr. Charlie Kemp, Hello Robot’s chief technology officer and co-founder, and Dr. Raksha Mudar and Dr. Harshal Mahajan of the university.

Rogers said, "Our interdisciplinary research team at Illinois will develop the implementation protocols to explore long-term use of Stretch in homes and care settings, with initial testing taking place in the LIFE Home," as quoted by Robotics & Automation News.

Edsinger said the research would help the team understand how Stretch could provide useful, trustworthy assistance while supporting people who care for older adults.

While Kemp pointed out that, “The real question isn’t what robots can do. It’s who they help. Recent advances in physical AI create promising new opportunities for Stretch to benefit people."

Earlier Studies Will Guide the Next Phase

The grant builds on previous NIH funded research by Hello Robot and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In that phase researchers used participatory design to refine Stretch for older adults with cognitive and physical impairments and the team also worked with ClarkLindsey Life Plan Community to evaluate the robot in naturalistic settings and identify promising applications. Lindsey Communities will continue as a core research partner.

Long term aim is to develop reliable, context aware and commercially viable assistive robot that can help older adults maintain independence & improve their quality of life, according to the report.

The project highlights the growing need for support as the population ages. More than 11000 Americans turn 65 each day and globally population aged 65 and older is projected to rise from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion by 2050.

According to the project, nearly 9.7 million direct-care job openings including new jobs and vacancies are expected by 2034 with turnover rates of 77%.