Socially Assistive Robot for Low Vision

Overseen By Andrea Obligacion

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 1

Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles

Disqualifiers: Cognitive impairment, Substance abuse, Hearing loss, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

20 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a socially assistive robot designed to help people with vision loss use magnification devices for reading. The robot encourages consistent use of these devices, making daily tasks like reading easier and more effective. Participants will use the robot at home to determine if it improves their ability to use magnifiers. Individuals with vision loss who received a magnification device from the UCLA Vision Rehabilitation Center might be suitable for this trial. As a Phase 1 trial, the research focuses on understanding how the treatment works in people, offering participants the opportunity to be among the first to experience this innovative approach.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this socially assistive robot is safe for individuals with vision loss?

Research has shown that socially assistive robots can aid people with visual impairments by teaching new skills and encouraging social interaction. Although specific safety data for the Socially Assistive Robot for Low Vision is not yet available, similar robots have been used successfully in other contexts.

These robots are generally easy to use and designed to be helpful. They have improved well-being in various groups, such as older adults and children, suggesting they are safe to use.

As this study is in its early stages, the main goal is to evaluate the robot's effectiveness and ensure its safety. Participation will help researchers understand how the robot can best support people with low vision. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about using a socially assistive robot for low vision because it offers a new way to support individuals beyond traditional treatments like magnifiers, screen readers, or optical aids. Unlike these tools, which focus on enhancing visual capabilities or providing visual substitutes, the robot provides interactive assistance and companionship, potentially improving the user's overall quality of life. This robot can help with daily activities and offer emotional support, addressing both practical and social needs that current options might overlook.

What evidence suggests that the socially assistive robot is effective for low vision?

Research shows that socially assistive robots (SARs) can aid people with vision loss by helping them use magnification devices for reading. These robots interact with users to encourage practice and improve their skills with these devices. Studies have found that SARs can boost social interaction and reduce anxiety, potentially leading to better acceptance and use of assistive tools. Early findings suggest that these robots can ease daily tasks for people with low vision, promoting independence and reducing visual challenges. Although more research is needed, the potential for SARs to support people with vision loss is promising. In this trial, participants will either receive the robot immediately or after a delay, allowing researchers to compare the effects of immediate versus delayed access to the robot. ^{1 4 5 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Maja J Mataric, PhD

Principal Investigator

USC Interaction Lab; Viterbi School of Engineering

Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD

Principal Investigator

UCLA Stein Eye Institute; Vision Rehabilitation Center

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults over 18 with any level of vision loss from ocular disease, who have received a magnification device from the UCLA Vision Rehabilitation Center. It's not suitable for those with life-limiting medical conditions, conflicting schedules, cognitive impairments, substance abuse issues, significant hearing loss or incompatible magnifier devices.

Inclusion Criteria

You have received a magnification device from the UCLA Vision Rehabilitation Center.

Age 18 and older

You have any kind of vision loss because of an eye disease.

Exclusion Criteria

Schedules not permitting participation in planned study sessions or visits (including planning to move or take extended vacation during study period)

You have a history of using drugs or alcohol excessively.

The magnifier device can't be used with the beacon sensors because it doesn't have a way to hold it in your hand or a flat area to attach the sensor.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Immediate Robot Deployment

Participants receive the robot at home for two months, starting one month after study entry

2 months

Home-based intervention

Observation Period

Three-month observation period without the robot

3 months

Delayed/Waitlist Robot Deployment

Participants receive the robot at home for three months, starting three months after study entry

3 months

Home-based intervention

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

1 month

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Socially Assistive Robot

Trial Overview The study tests how a socially assistive robot can help people with low vision use their magnification devices more effectively and consistently when reading. The robot aims to motivate users and reinforce skills needed to proficiently use the magnifier.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Immediate Robot Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

One month after study entry, participants will receive the robot at home for two months, followed by a three month observation period without the robot.

Group II: Delayed/Waitlist Robot Active Control 1 Intervention

Three months after study entry, participants will receive the robot at home for three months.

Socially Assistive Robot is already approved in United States for the following indications:

Approved in United States as Socially Assistive Robot for:

• Low vision rehabilitation
• Vision loss assistance

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of California, Los Angeles

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,594

Recruited

10,430,000+

University of Southern California

Collaborator

Trials

956

Recruited

1,609,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A low vision aid system that uses gaze-contingent visual enhancement significantly improved face recognition accuracy in patients with age-related macular degeneration, increasing correct responses from 41% to 63%.

The study involved 12 participants and demonstrated that while the visual aid increased response time for most users, it provided a meaningful functional benefit, highlighting the importance of effective assistive technology for those with central vision loss.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Vision Enhancement System to Improve Face Recognition with Central Vision Loss. Calabrèse, A., Aguilar, C., Faure, G., et al.[2019]

This systematic review found limited evidence supporting occupational therapy interventions for improving social participation in older adults with low vision, based on only 3 studies with a high risk of bias.

Interventions that included group therapy, more intensive direct service, and the use of low vision devices showed some improvements in social participation, highlighting the need for further research in this area.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Occupational Therapy Interventions Supporting Leisure and Social Participation for Older Adults With Low Vision: A Systematic Review. Nastasi, JA.[2022]

Socially assistive robots (SARs) can play a crucial role in helping individuals with health conditions maintain positive social interactions, which is vital for their overall health and wellbeing.

The paper outlines a framework for SARs that includes five key functions to support social interactions: changing perceptions, enhancing social behavior, modifying others' behavior, providing interaction structure, and influencing emotional states.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assistive Robots for the Social Management of Health: A Framework for Robot Design and Human-Robot Interaction Research. Chita-Tegmark, M., Scheutz, M.[2022]

Telepresence robots show promise in enhancing social connection for people with dementia, based on a review of four studies that explored their feasibility and acceptability in real-time communication with carers.

Despite positive outcomes, challenges such as user experience and technological issues were noted, indicating a need for further systematic studies and clinical trials to better understand their efficacy in dementia care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Potential of telepresence robots to enhance social connectedness in older adults with dementia: an integrative review of feasibility. Moyle, W., Arnautovska, U., Ownsworth, T., et al.[2018]

The study analyzed the medical records of 4,711 patients at a low-vision clinic, finding that age-related macular degeneration was the most common diagnosis, affecting 40% of patients, and highlighting the need for tailored low-vision aids based on individual magnification requirements.

In a subgroup of 930 patients, the use of low-vision aids significantly improved reading speed from an average of 35 words per minute to 81 words per minute, demonstrating the effectiveness of these aids in enhancing the quality of life for visually impaired individuals.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Spectrum of ophthalmologic and social rehabilitation at the Tübinger Low-Vision Clinic : a retrospective analysis for 1999-2005]. Nguyen, NX., Weismann, M., Trauzettel-Klosinski, S.[2022]

The use of socially assistive robots for senior care raises important ethical concerns, particularly regarding privacy, safety, and the potential for deception, which need to be addressed as these technologies are developed.

Establishing ethical guidelines for the deployment of social service robots is crucial to ensure that principles like nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and fairness are integrated into their use and research.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ethical challenges in the use of social service robots for elderly people. Körtner, T.[2018]

A LEGO Mindstorms NXT® robot was developed to assist elderly individuals in maintaining healthy life habits through physical and mental activities, showing promise in enhancing their quality of life.

Testing with a group of elderly residents indicated high satisfaction, with scores above 4 out of 5 in all categories of a questionnaire, suggesting the robot's effectiveness in delivering coaching for physical activities.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Caregiver and social assistant robot for rehabilitation and coaching for the elderly. Pérez, PJ., Garcia-Zapirain, B., Mendez-Zorrilla, A.[2016]

This study is the first randomized controlled trial investigating the use of PARO, a therapeutic pet robot, to improve mood and enhance social interaction in 40 older adults with mild to moderate dementia, conducted over six weekly sessions.

The outcomes will assess not only mood and social engagement but also cognitive function and caregiver burden, providing a comprehensive evaluation of PARO's effectiveness in dementia care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Use of a Therapeutic, Socially Assistive Pet Robot (PARO) in Improving Mood and Stimulating Social Interaction and Communication for People With Dementia: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Yu, R., Hui, E., Lee, J., et al.[2020]

A 5-week study involving 12 kindergarten students in New Delhi highlighted key ethical challenges in using social assistive robots in education, including language barriers, potential harms from malfunctions, issues of trust, and the sustainability of such technologies.

The research emphasizes the need for more literature and evaluation of ethical considerations when deploying social robotics in under-resourced educational settings, as most existing studies focus on wealthier contexts.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ethical Considerations from Child-Robot Interactions in Under-Resourced Communities. Singh, DK., Kumar, M., Fosch-Villaronga, E., et al.[2023]

The study evaluated a low vision device lending library program with 20 participants, showing significant improvements in reading performance and satisfaction after using portable video magnifiers (p<.001).

Participants reported enhanced independence in daily tasks and higher psychosocial well-being, indicating that proper access and use of low vision devices can greatly improve quality of life for individuals with visual impairments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An Evaluation of a Clinic-Based Low Vision Device Lending Library. Guidry, NC., Vogtle, LK., Barstow, EA., et al.[2023]

A systematic review of 44 studies involving visually impaired adults found no significant benefits of low vision rehabilitation interventions on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), indicating that these interventions may not improve overall well-being as expected.

However, there was low to moderate-certainty evidence suggesting small benefits on vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) from psychological therapies and methods to enhance vision, particularly when compared to active control groups, highlighting the potential for targeted rehabilitation strategies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Low vision rehabilitation for better quality of life in visually impaired adults. van Nispen, RM., Virgili, G., Hoeben, M., et al.[2023]

A study involving 49 seniors in laboratory trials and 18 seniors in home trials helped identify key user requirements for a social assistive robot designed to prevent and detect falls, emphasizing the importance of user feedback in development.

The prototypes were perceived as friendly and capable, but seniors expressed a need for a narrower design to navigate their homes better, highlighting the importance of practical functionality in enhancing safety and security for elderly users.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Designing a social and assistive robot for seniors. Eftring, H., Frennert, S.[2018]

Citations

1. arxiv.org arxiv.org/html/2401.03329v1

Designing a Socially Assistive Robot to Support Older ... Socially assistive robots (SARs) have shown great promise in supplementing and augmenting interventions to support the physical and mental well-being of ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9531900/

SAR-Connect: A Socially Assistive Robotic System to Support ... In this paper, we present a novel HRI framework and a realized platform called SAR-Connect to foster robot-mediated social interaction among older adults.

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748924000427

Exploring the impact of socially assistive robots on health ... Socially assistive robots may help to improve loneliness, social interaction, and positive affect in older adults, decrease anxiety and distress in children,

4. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-1-vision-low-5-2021-ef19a

Socially Assistive Robot for Low Vision This trial uses a socially assistive robot to help people with vision loss use magnification devices for reading. The robot interacts with users to ensure ...

5. dl.acm.org dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3713438

Human Robot Interaction for Blind and Low Vision People Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in using robots to support Blind and Low Vision (BLV) people in various tasks and contexts.

6. dl.acm.org dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3594806.3596593

Assistive Robots for Persons with Visual Impairments Robots have the potential to support persons with different abilities, including individuals with blindness or visual impairments (BVI).

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6955545/

Enablers and barriers to the implementation of socially ... Socially assistive humanoid robots are considered a promising technology to tackle the challenges in health and social care posed by the growth of the ageing ...