你可能会认为这是一个典型的长期护理机构的治疗过程. In a quiet room, a therapist sets down a pet carrier, brings out a cat, and sets it on a resident’s lap. As the resident gently strokes the cat’s fur, it purrs, 治疗师会问住院医生关于他们童年宠物的问题, accessing long-ago memories.
居民享受的会议和利益，为他们的福祉是真实的. But the animal is not. 这是一个机器人宠物，有合成的皮毛和程序化的动作和声音. But researchers are finding that robotic pets can be useful in therapy, without some of the disadvantages and unpredictability of real animals.
In a paper published in the Canadian Journal of Recreation Therapy, 犹他大学的研究人员朗达·纳尔逊和研究生丽贝卡·韦斯顿斯科制定了一项使用机器人宠物治疗老年痴呆症患者的方案. The protocol uses a low-cost robotic pet, 建立理想的会话长度，并确定共同参与者对宠物的反应，以大发娱乐未来的研究.
“大发娱乐的程序中有这样的问题：你想抓狗的耳后吗? Would you like to pet him? Would you like to brush him?职业和娱乐治疗系的助理教授尼尔森说. “然后大发娱乐评估人们对这些不同线索的反应，这样大发娱乐就可以为人们大发娱乐提供一些指导，告诉他们如何对这些动物采取最有益的行动."
An affordable robotic pet
Nelson has watched the development of robotic pets for the past decade, 对在长期和老年护理环境中使用它们的潜力感兴趣. But until recently the price was prohibitive. “我自己就是一名治疗师，并训练大发娱乐的学生成为治疗师, 我很清楚大多数设施都买不到它们."
But with the introduction of Ageless Innovation‘s Joy For All Companion pets in 2015, priced at under $150, 机器人宠物作为治疗“动物”的广泛使用似乎指日可及. 在长期护理环境中，机器人宠物可以规避活体动物的许多风险和缺点. Many facilities don’t allow personal pets because of allergies, the potential for bites or scratches and other reasons.
研究人员已经开始研究痴呆症患者如何与机器人宠物互动, Nelson notes, but haven’t yet developed a unified protocol to give, say, 辅助生活人员计划通过直接互动从宠物的使用中获得最大利益.
尼尔森说：“关于人们如何对待宠物的信息很少。. "So without that guidance, it’s just a toy. And what do you do with it?"
Observing interactions
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 研究人员采访了5位年龄在82岁到87岁之间、住在长期护理机构的老人，他们都有严重的认知障碍. In two sessions of 30 minutes each, 研究人员拿出一只装在宠物笼里的机器狗或一只猫（由参与者选择）.
“当机器宠物从宠物笼中取出时，许多参与者都向它倾斜," the researchers noted, "then instinctively reached for it and began petting, rubbing or scratching the pet when first introduced."
Throughout the session, the researchers asked questions, 包括参与者与过去宠物的经历，以及与现在的机器人宠物的互动. "Did they have dogs or cats?" Nelson says, giving examples of typical questions. "What were their names? Did they keep them indoors or outdoors? What types of food did they eat?"
研究人员仔细观察了参与者对宠物的反应. 机器人宠物会移动并发出声音，尼尔森说这有助于参与者与它们互动.
“当狗叫的时候，它们会说，‘哦，你是想告诉我什么吗?’" she says. “或者他们会评论猫的呼噜声，说‘哇，你一定很开心! I feel you purring.“人们反应最热烈的活动之一就是给动物刷牙."
In one case, though, the session proceeded in silence. 参与者很难表达自己的想法，但始终专注于机器狗. By the end of the session, the participant seemed to develop a connection with the robotic animal, saying, "I like that dog. When he likes me."
纳尔逊经常被问到，认知能力下降的参与者是否明白机器人宠物不是活着的. 她说，在这项研究中，他们似乎都意识到这不是一只活的动物.
“有趣的是，大发娱乐的一个参与者是一位退休兽医，”她说. "So I was very intrigued to see how he would interact with it.他选择把机器狗和机器猫同时放在他的腿上. "We would never tell somebody that it was live if they asked. We would be honest with them. 大发娱乐通常会说‘你想抱抱我的狗吗’，人们会以一种对他们有意义的方式来回应它."
Initial recommendations
Unfortunately, data collection was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the researchers were able to draw some conclusions.
所有的参与者都很喜欢这项活动，有几个人说他们“非常喜欢”." One participant didn’t like the sounds the pet made, 这很容易通过关闭声音来补救——对活的动物来说不是一个选择吗.
回答最多的问题与个人回忆和与宠物互动的方向有关.
研究人员的报告称，与宠物交流是一种常见的、但又不由自主的行为. "Several participants used comments, sounds, 特定的语调和面部表情自发与宠物," the researchers wrote. “一些参与者模仿宠物发出的动物叫声，并重新调整宠物的位置，让它看自己的脸或与宠物进行眼神交流."
虽然需要更多的研究来确定最佳的会话长度, 研究人员指出，在研究中，每次30分钟就足够了. 尼尔森还希望探索不同程度认知衰退的人对宠物的反应, as well as how they can be used in a group setting.
研究发现，最有意义的互动和最愉快的经历发生在参与者自我指导的时候.
“在娱乐治疗中，大发娱乐总是谈论大发娱乐提供以人为本的护理，”尼尔森说. "So it’s not really about what I think about an activity. If somebody enjoys it and it brings happiness to them, then it’s really about what they think about it."
为什么与机器人宠物互动能大发娱乐提供如此愉快的体验?
“长期护理机构的人处于一个人人都照顾他们的位置," Nelson says, "and to be in the role where you are nurturing something else, 或者你是照顾者，我认为这在心理上也很安慰人们, even though they know that it’s not live, they’re the person who’s giving love and compassion to something, and it’s responding."
Find the full study here.