Effects of Robotic Touch on Older Users During Walking Guidance by a Humanoid Robot
2026-07-10 • Robotics
Robotics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how older adults feel about being physically guided by a robot while walking, since walking skills tend to decline with age. They tested four types of contact, from no touch to different ways of holding or linking arms with the robot. They found that older adults generally accepted the robot’s touch and trusted it more when there was gentle, steady contact. The study suggests that soft physical contact helps older adults feel safer and more comfortable during robot-guided walking. This can help improve robot designs for assisting seniors.
geriatric carerobotic assistancewalking guidancehuman-robot interactionphysical contact modeselectrocardiogramelectrodermal activitytrust in robotsbehavioral assessmentuser acceptance
Authors
Leonie Leven, Marko Ackermann, Christian Werner, Melina Schmetterer, Theresa Buchner, Monika Eckstein, Katja Mombaur
Abstract
The shortage of healthcare staff is a challenge in geriatric care. To address this, robots can be integrated into care settings to provide assistance and emotional support. A promising application is walking guidance, particularly benefiting older adults as navigation skills deteriorate with aging. As walking guidance involves direct contact, the aim of this study is to understand how older adults perceive and respond to different touch modes during guided walking. 24 older adults (68 - 88 yrs.) walked four times a ten-meter trajectory guided by the robot TIAGo Pro in four contact conditions: no physical contact (NC); physical contact through holding the robot's wrist with the hand (HH); physical interaction through linking arms with the robot (LA); and physical contact through resting the forearm on the robots forearm (FC). A multimodal assessment approach included electrocardiogram, electrodermal activity, contact force, distance to robot, and questionnaires. Physiological results reveal a slight increase in stress levels during robot interaction. Behavioural and subjective measures, however, show overall acceptance of robotic touch. The two conditions corresponding to larger interaction forces (HH and FC) were associated with lower relative distances between participant and robot, indicating a higher trust and confidence. Questionnaire responses supported these findings, evidencing greater perceived safety, trust and comfort in these conditions. This study provides insights for the design of robotic walking guidance assistance, indicating that gentle, stable touch is preferred by older adults in comparison to contactless interaction.