Robots et agents virtuels au service des personnes âgées : une revue de l'actualité en gérontechnologie

Most demographic projections point to an increase in the number of dependent older adults worldwide and highlight the shortage of personal assistance to support these individuals in their daily activities. Assistive technology solutions, including social assistive robots and virtual agents, offer several opportunities to promote independent living in elderly people. Still relatively unknown in the field of geriatrics, studies conducted in this area highlight several advantages of these technologies. However, in a general way older adults are not familiar with these systems and are suspicious about their use. This paper aims to provide a review on the use of assistive robots and virtual agents in geriatrics. We present the main findings of studies conducted in the field, their advantages, limitations, and recommendations for further research.