Development of Ryan Companion Robot for Assisting Elderly People with Alzheimer's Disease

The objective of the proposed Fast-Track SBIR effort is to develop and commercialize the Ryan CompanionBot (hereafter, Ryan), an intelligent conversational life-like social robot, designed to improve the well-being and quality of life of older adults with early stage Alzheimerandapos;s disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementia (ADRD). According to the NIA, research reports estimate that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have AD, and the number is expected to rise as the population ages. Common symptoms of AD/ADRD include cognitive decline, short-term memory loss, changes in mood, depression, communication difficulties, lost interest in hobbies or activities, and repetitive behavior. Americans suffering from AD/ADRD are believed to cost the nation $236 billion annually with projected annual costs of over $1 trillion by 2050. Traditional methods for disease management have shown limited success treating AD/ADRD or mitigating its symptoms. Health care personnel and caregivers who are physically and emotionally taxed are seeking new ways to provide care for elderly individuals and particularly those suffering from AD/ADRD. Innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, have begun to alleviate the growing need for novel solutions to the healthcare. Among such technologies, socially assistive robots such as Ryan have received a great amount of attention in recent years. Ryan will be designed to promote social interaction and foster engagement and rapport, and improve mood and well-being of persons with early stage AD/ADRD. In the Phase I effort, we will develop facial emotion recognition technology and integrate it with Ryan and then conduct a pilot study to understand the feasiblity and effectiveness of Ryan in fostering empathy and rapport in interaction with persons with AD/ADRD. Once validated, we will work with domain experts to design and build aestehcically pleasing Ryan V2.0 and integrate the facial expression recognition technology with a spoken- dialog system, reminders, and other intelligent features into Ryan to address the needs of persons with early stage AD/ADRD and their caregivers. If successful, DreamFace will be positioned to bring to market an affordable and effective socially-assistive robot to improve the quality of life for persons with AD/ADRD.The goal of the project is to develop a socially assistive robot companionbot (Ryan) for improving the quality of life of persons with Alzheimerandapos;s disease (AD). Americans suffering from AD cost the nation $236 billion annually with projected annual costs of over $1 trillion by 2050. Successful development of Ryan will improve patient well-being, make caregivers more efficient and effective, and provide significant financial benefits to the healthcare industry, and assist families and caregivers who are looking for ways to better assist older adults with AD.