How might robots support people living with frailty (PLWF) in homes

This pilot project investigates the real-world integration of commercial humanoid robots into the homes of People Living With Frailty (PLWF), focusing on the human-computer interaction (HCI) challenges and opportunities that arise from cohabitation. Building on the EPSRC Emergence Plus network, the project brings together interdisciplinary expertise in architecture, psychology, robotics, and social care.

With ethics approval and community partnerships already in place, the team will deploy humanoid robots in five homes for one-day trials. These deployments will generate observational and interaction data to refine an existing HCI framework, capturing built environment factors, robot design considerations, and the social-psychological dynamics of frailty.

The project aims to produce actionable insights for inclusive robot design, strengthen future funding proposals, and empower PLWF through participatory design. Outcomes will include a refined framework, stakeholder reports, and academic outputs, laying the groundwork for larger-scale studies and the next generation of empathetic assistive technologies.