This study aims to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating a cognitively-enabled robot into public library services specifically tailored for elderly patrons. It aims to demonstrate how a user-centred and contextually designed robotic system can meet the multifaceted needs of this demographic, moving beyond traditional automated functions to provide more interactive and personalized information services.
Adopting a user-centred design research approach, this study developed “OREO”, a cognitive library robot featuring three key innovations: proactive engagement capabilities, intelligent navigation and recommendation and memory-aware dialogue built upon multiple visits. A field study was conducted in the senior zone of a national public library with elderly patrons, and both quantitative usability test data and qualitative interview data were collected and analysed.
The cognitive robot, OREO, successfully demonstrated its designed functions in a real-world library setting. Three main functions targeted for verification – proactive greeting, intelligent guidance and memory-aware dialogue – were all confirmed with positive evaluation feedback.
This study offers novel empirical insights into the deployment of a cognitive embodied robot that integrates advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of proactive engagement, intelligent navigation and memory-aware dialogue into a public library’s elderly services. It uniquely uses a user-centred and humanity-centred design approach within an authentic field setting, providing first-hand evidence and a crucial understanding of human-robot interaction in community contexts. The findings demonstrate the transformative potential of moving library robots from mere automation to intelligent, socially aware agents, offering actionable design principles for future AI-driven information services.
