An Exploration of Robot-Mediated Tai Chi Exercise for Older Adults
Source abstract
Abstract
In this fast-aging society, many older adults fail to meet the required level of exercise due to trainer shortages. Therefore, we developed a robot tutor to investigate the feasibility of robot-mediated exercise for older adults. Twenty older adults participated in an experimental study. A pre-exercise survey was used to assess their background. Each participant experienced a 30-min robot-led Tai Chi exercise followed by a post-exercise survey to evaluate the easiness of following the robot and expectations for future robot design. Participants’ Tai Chi performances were evaluated in terms of completion and accuracy. Associations between the surveys and the performance were also analyzed. All participants completed the study. Fifteen out of the twenty subjects had at least one chronic condition, and most practiced Tai Chi before the study but had never interacted with a robot. On average, the participants scored 93.09 and 85.21 out of 100 for movement completion and accuracy, respectively. Their initial movement accuracy was correlated with their attitude towards exercise. Most subjects reported that they could follow the robot’s movements and speeches well and were interested in using a robot tutor in the community. The study demonstrated the initial feasibility of robot-led Tai Chi exercise for older adults.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery · Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention · Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
College of Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
Funding
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
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