Robot-Assisted Meditation for Older Adults With Cognitive Concerns

While traditional app-based mindfulness meditation programs relying solely on audio guidance have shown potential benefits for older adults, the programs often face challenges such as low engagement. Participants frequently report difficulties in maintaining focus during meditation sessions, which can limit its effectiveness in improving outcomes such as stress reduction and sleep quality. To address these limitations, this study examines whether a haptic robot that provides both tactile and audio guidance can enhance meditation. The robot's expansion and contraction movements help users pace and sustain rhythmic breathing, while gentle vibrations signal phase transitions without disrupting concentration. These haptic features are intended to anchor attention and support a more embodied practice.

The study primarily seeks to answer the following questions: Does a haptic enabled meditation intervention reduce perceived stress in older adults living alone with subjective cognitive decline more effectively than an audio only mindfulness meditation guidance provided by a non-moving robot? To what extent does enhanced attentional anchoring mediate the intervention's effect on perceived stress in this population? By addressing these questions, the research aims to determine whether haptic enabled meditation technology can overcome common barriers to mindfulness practice among older adults and serve as an innovative tool to reduce perceived stress, and ultimately improve their sleep quality and physical, emotional, and cognitive well being.