Living one week with an autonomous Pepper in a rehabilitation center: lessons from the field

Socially assistive robots (SAR) are conceived to improve the quality of life by better assisting people in need, when it comes to rehabilitation, convalescence, learning etc. In this paper we explore how patients could cohabit with a socially assistive robot in rehabilitation centers. We presented a qualitative analysis of eight patients living with Pepper robot during a week’s time. The data come from videos of daily interactions between the patients and Pepper, patients’ journal diaries and daily reports written by the medical staff. Our analysis proposes an understanding on what worked in terms of a potential relationship between patients and Pepper, while the robot was still under development. Our study shows that notions like patience, politeness, and a general positive appreciation of the design of the robot create a social presence for the residents of the reeducation center.