Empowering Independence: Human-Centered Robotics to Support Everyday Living for Older Adults
P. Bhowmick (Convener), L. Figueredo (UK), S. Kumar (Israel), A. Raji (Canada), P. Bhowmick (US)
Full text PDF 
( Download count: 1)
AbstractISSUE: Robotic systems are increasingly proposed as scalable solutions to help older adults maintain independence, dignity, and safety in daily life, particularly as aging populations intensify pressures on home care and long-term care systems worldwide [1, 2]. Advances in sensing, autonomous control, and dexterous manipulation have unlocked unprecedented potential for robots to support everyday functioning, not only through monitoring and mobility assistance, but also through contact-rich, physically supportive actions that address essential self-care needs [3]. However, significant challenges remain before robots can provide meaningful support in homes and care settings. Systems must be capable of safe and reliable physical interaction while also remaining intelligible, predictable, and trustworthy to individuals whose cognitive, perceptual, and motor abilities vary widely across the aging spectrum. Furthermore, technology acceptance and long-term engagement hinge on designs that respect personal routines, privacy expectations, emotional well-being, and care relationships. These gaps underscore the need for human-centered approaches that integrate engineering innovation with the lived experience of aging. This symposium brings together four interdisciplinary studies spanning gerontechnology, human–robot interaction, rehabilitation robotics, and assistive design to explore strategies for ensuring that emerging robotic systems align with the priorities, capabilities, and dignity of older adults. Together, the speakers explore how robots can: (1) safely execute functional, real-world ADL support in home and care environments, (2) communicate and adapt to maintain shared understanding with users, (3) deliver personalized, motivating rehabilitation aligned with meaningful daily tasks, and (4) support autonomy in private and physically challenging self-care contexts such as showering. CONTENT: 1. Luis Figueredo (UK) examines real-world care contexts through the Geriatronics Lighthouse Initiative, identifying high-value ADL tasks, such as serving drinks and grocery transport, that are physically demanding yet routine. By integrating stakeholder insights with safety-critical technical development and Delphi-style expert evaluations, this work highlights where humanoid and service robots are nearing deployment readiness and where barriers remain. 2. Shikhar Kumar (Israel) introduces a novel framework for robot understandability, operationalized as the discrepancy between a robot’s intentions and a user’s mental model. A Hidden Markov Model that estimates misunderstanding from behavioral cues demonstrates a pathway toward adaptive, communicative robots, a core requirement for trust and usability among older adults. 3. Aisha Raji (Canada) advances rehabilitation robotics for older stroke survivors through personalized, object-based reach-and-grasp training that leverages familiar household items. Early trials reveal promise for improving functional reach and supporting motivation, ecological relevance, and confidence, aspects that are central to long-term recovery and aging in place. 4. Pallabi Bhowmick (US) focuses on a critical yet understudied self-care ADL – showering. Interviews with older adults with long-term mobility disabilities and caregivers emphasize the need for voice-first control, hybrid interactions, and privacy-protective sensing in robotic shower technologies that reinforce dignity and autonomy. CONCLUSION: Through these distinct but interconnected contributions, the session advances a unified agenda for robots as empowering partners in aging, not merely technological tools. Together, these four studies illuminate a shared agenda: enabling robots that can act safely, communicate clearly, and address real functional needs of older adults across home and care environments. By integrating engineering innovation with human-centered inquiry, this symposium offers actionable design insights and evaluation strategies that move gerontechnology closer to delivering meaningful, respectful assistance that supports healthy aging and continued participation in everyday life.Keywords: mobility impairment, older adults, caregiving and independence, assistive showering technology, robotics
P. Bhowmick (Convener), L. Figueredo (UK), S. Kumar (Israel), A. Raji (Canada), P. Bhowmick (US) (2026). Empowering Independence: Human-Centered Robotics to Support Everyday Living for Older Adults. Gerontechnology, 25(2), 1-10
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2026.25.2.1346.3