Designing for flourishing: a conceptual model for enhancing older adults’ well-being with social robots

This article gives a new perspective on designing robotic applications in elderly care with a special focus on socially assistive robots and seniors’ well-being. While various applications have been proposed there is currently no common conceptual model in designing interventions with social robots for seniors. Therefore, we propose a conceptual model that identifies five key domains for designing applications for socially interactive robots to enhance seniors’ well-being. We base our conceptual model on established theories from the social sciences. Namely, we propose that application design should consider integrating Self-Determination Theory by addressing the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) to enhance seniors’ wellbeing. Furthermore, we recommend assessing the impact of social robots on well-being using the five building blocks of the PERMA framework: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. By integrating these theoretical perspectives, researchers and developers gain a structured approach to designing social robot applications for cognitively healthy older adults and evaluating their effects.