title: Lounging with robots--social spaces of residents in care: A comparison trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether robots could reduce resident sleeping and stimulate activity in the lounges of an older persons' care facility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-randomised controlled trial over a 12-week period. The intervention involved situating robots in low-level and high-dependency ward lounges and a comparison with similar lounges without robots. A time sampling observation method was utilised to observe resident behaviour, including sleep and activities over periods of time, to compare interactions in robot and no robot lounges.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of robots was modest; overall 13% of residents in robot lounges used the robot. Utilisation was higher in the low-level care lounges; on average, 23% used the robot, whereas in high-level care lounges, the television being on was the strongest predictor of sleep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that having robots in lounges was mostly a positive experience. The amount of time residents slept during the day was significantly less in low-level care lounges that had a robot.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peri
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ngaire
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kerse
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Broadbent
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Chandimal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jayawardena
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Chandan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Datta
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000204:Activity Cycles; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D015444:Exercise; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011788:Quality of Life; D012371:Robotics; D012890:Sleep; D012919:Social Behavior; D013690:Television; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: activity; daytime sleeping; interaction; resident; robot; staff