The SI-ROBOTICS (SIR) project aims to design and develop novel solutions of collaborative assistive ICT robotics with advanced abilities to support humans in healthcare services and, at the same time, acting with a socially acceptable behavior.
The scientific objective of the SI-ROBOTICS Project is to investigate and implement technological solutions easy adaptable to assist elderly people in daily living activities and to assess the progress of their physical and cognitive decline, i.e. cognitive frailty, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, etc., thus enabling specific challenges for early diagnosis, objective assessment, therapy control and rehabilitation. At this scope, a radically new ICT Robotics concepts and solutions will be introduced, in which humans, IoT devices, and AI-powered social robots and objects connected to Cloud will harmoniously exist as a kind of “cognitive agent” that anticipates human needs and provides assistance, monitoring and coaching solutions. The technological objective of the SI-ROBOTICS Project is to achieve step changes that enable connected robots to take on more “human” capabilities and traits, such as perceiving, adapting, learning, manipulating and interacting. The distinctive feature is the design and implementation of advanced behavioural models of interaction, conceived to establish a high positive perception of care presence in order to empower and motivate elderly people to actively participate in their care process.

The SI-ROBOTICS Project is conceived to demonstrate the technical feasibility, acceptability and economical sustainability of the SI-ROBOTICS solution within the context of elder care facilities and home environments, which are usually characterized by the presence of frail people, requiring gentle and dedicated attention and interaction, and caregiver and medical operators, working with very scheduled and demanding tasks. The ambition here is also to provide and evaluate novel care processes of continuum of care through a comprehensive array of health services spanning all levels and intensity of care in domestic and residential settings.