Hospitalisation is stressful for children. Play material is often offered for distraction and comfort. Weexplored how contact with social robot PLEO could positively affect a child’s well-being. To this end, we performed a multiple case study on the paediatric ward of two hospitals. Child life specialists …

This study aimed (1) to examine the contribution of robot ZORA in achieving therapeutic and educational goals in rehabilitation and special education for children with severe physical disabilities, and (2) to discover the roles professionals attribute to robot ZORA when it is used in robot-based play …

By studying the population pyramid of the Netherlands, two notable trends can be observed: the increase in 'grey pressure ' (population 65 and older, the upcoming 'baby boom generation ') and the decrease in the number of babies born. These trends are noticeable in the spectrum of care, where the population …

Recent textile innovations have significantly transformed both the material structures of fibers and fabrics as well as their sphere of use and applications.At the same time, new recycling concepts and methods to re-­-use textile waste are rapidly being developed and many new ways to make use of recycled …

This paper presents an analysis of two comparable studies with LEGO Robotics-based activities in a social skills training program for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). One study has been carried out with a group of 16 children in the Unit of Pediatrics Psychology and Psychiatry in HSJD in …

Emotional factors related to aging at home assistive technology are known to affect technology acceptance, effective use, and quality of life improvement. This paper is a survey on the affective dimension of robot-based systems conceived for helping elderly at home. The specificity of elders’ capabilities …

This paper presents a study on (1) how children experience a pet robot, (2) how they play with it and (3) how children’s perceptions on and interaction with pet robots are interrelated. The study features different types of subjective and objective techniques to assess the degree of perceived social …

Older adults prefer an assistive technology that can be adaptive to their needs. However, as an assistive social robot that is autonomous has the possibility of being pro-actively adaptive this could cause feelings of anxiety. Analyzing the results of a study with video’s that feature an assistive social …

It is generally recognized that non perceptual factors like age, gender, education and computer experience can have a moderating effect on how perception of a technology leads to acceptance of it. In our present research we are exploring the influence of these factors on the acceptance of assistive …