Robot-Assisted Cognitive Training for Socially Isolated Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

This project will develop a Socially-Assistive Robot (SAR) to provide cognitive training, in the form of learning to play the piano, to improve cognitive functioning and reduce feelings of loneliness in socially-isolated older adults. The SAR will administer cognitive training via guided practice on a set of standard piano lesson tasks designed to reflect particular cognitive functions: memory, attention, language, and social acuity. The goals of this project are that the SAR will (1) engage the persons with mild cognitive impairment (PMCI) in skill-building cognitive music training; (2) enhance cognitive functioning, in particular verbal and visual memory, reasoning ability, and complex attention; and (3) reduce feelings of loneliness. This SAR can be used as both a personalized social companion and an interactive tutor to deliver customized training for cognitive functioning and social engagement. We have assembled a strong multidisciplinary team of computer scientists, roboticists, engineers, human factors specialists, neuroscientists, and gerontologists, well suited to achieve goals.Dementia is a costly chronic disease; an estimated $259 billion was spent in 2017 for health care, long-term care, and out-of-pocket expenses. Furthermore, social isolation is a problem many older adults face, with 1 in 3 older adults reporting loneliness in the United States. Socially assistive robotics (SARs) have the potential to provide mental and social engagement – especially for those older adults who may lack social connections. In particular, SARs can utilize machine learning to provide customized and socially-engaging cognitive training for lonely older adults with MCI.