Artificial companions in stroke rehabilitation: Likeability, familiarity and expectations

Abstract

There is a growing interest in digital companionship and artificial companions (ACs) as they are introduced in rehabilitation and healthcare services for the elderly and people with disabilities. We conduct an exploratory, pre-adoption study to better understand first impressions and likeability of ACs with older individuals in a stroke rehabilitation context. We interviewed 11 participants with stroke-related impairments as they viewed depictions of ACs and engaged in interactive gameplay. We found two main axes in which participants judge ACs' likeability: familiarity and expectations, where more familiarity and having expectations were associated with likeability. We relate these findings to literature on ACs for health promotion for survivors of stroke and discuss implications for the design of ACs.