Covid-19 pandemic Social robots could help with isolation in lockdown.

Social robots could serve mentally vulnerable people as a society during the Covid-19 lockdown and reduce the consequences of social isolation.

According to a study by the German Depression Aid Foundation, social isolation and the lack of daily structure affect mainly depressed people. The general population also suffers from the lockdowns that are necessary due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now a team of scientists from the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey, led by Alexander P. Henkel from the University of Hohenheim, has published a study in the Journal of Service Management according to which so-called social robots could help mentally vulnerable people during lockdown.

In the study, the scientists explain that "due to the quarantine measures taken as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are currently living in social isolation." According to Henkel, "this can have negative effects on their mental health in both the short and long term."

Robots as support

We would like to understand and provide suggestions on how social robots can improve the well-being of vulnerable people when they are in social isolation - not only during the corona pandemic, but also due to other circumstances. To this end, findings from various disciplines have flowed into our work: service research, social robotics, social psychology and medicine, ”explained Marah Blaurock, doctoral student at the Institute for Marketing and Management at the University of Hohenheim.

For this purpose, the scientists divided social robots into four main types based on the existing literature.

• Robots as entertainers
• Robots as social pioneers
• Robots as mentors
• Robots as friends

Robot is perceived as a friend

According to the study authors,during the Covid-19 pandemic, an entertaining robot could mainly serve lonely people for distraction and distract them from the depressing situation. The social enabler would expand this function because his behavior includes physical touch and social gestures, which, despite the lack of emotional intelligence, lead to the robot being perceived by many people as authentic social contact.

The mentor robot, on the other hand, would take on functions in education and in psychotherapy and physiotherapy. This would make it possible to look after patients without the physical presence of a doctor. In the case of older people, a mentor robot could also increase physical activity in isolation and thus prevent consequential damage that further restricts the health of the person. According to the authors, mentor robots have so far only been used in science.

The scientists rated the robot type Freund as particularly helpful in lockdown. According to the study authors, this offers quasi-social interactions and thus reduces the effects of social isolation. According to Henkel, "initial studies indicate that children and older adults could perceive the prototypes of such autonomous robots as social beings and friends who, as caring companions, take all aspects of well-being into account."