Companion Robotic Assistants for Improving the Quality of Life of People with Disabilities

The paper outlines the results from a pilot study, aimed at increasing the quality of life of people with disabilities at the background of the focus on well-being promotion and ageing Europe and increase of the percent of people with disabilities. This imposes a new perspective of unification and integration of the efforts of various sciences in the search of adequate measures, which to be implemented on operating level in daily life, based on the notion what the people with disabilities can do instead of can't do. 32 volunteers with disabilities participated in the study. The main objective of the pilot study was analysis of their attitudes towards the functions the companion robots can perform as to assist them and improve their daily life, and their preferences to robots' control, appearance, and voice. The preferred features and functions of the companion's robots reported by the participants are summarized. Some demographic specifies depending on the individual life situation, physical condition, and independent life are illustrated as describing the picture of the common points in the needs of the users and their needs and expectations, which can be taken into account in the further design of the robots.