The robots that dementia caregivers want: Robots for joy, robots for sorrow

A team of scientists spent six months co-designing robots with informal caregivers for people with dementia, such as family members. They found that caregivers wanted the robots to fulfill two major roles: support positive moments shared by caregivers and their loved ones; and lessen caregivers’ emotional stress by taking on difficult tasks, such as answering repeated questions and restricting unhealthy food.