Vanderbilt, Ohio State receive $3.1M NIH grant to develop social robots to encourage activity among older adults
Researchers from Vanderbilt University and The Ohio State University are teaming up to develop next-generation robotic technology that can help older adults living with forms of dementia through a grant from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.
The five-year grant, totaling $3.13 million, will support research and development of robotic framework and methodologies that encourage social interaction among older adults in long term care (LTC) facilities like nursing homes and independent or assisted living facilities.
The research will be conducted jointly with Lorraine Mion, professor of nursing at The Ohio State University and former Independence Foundation Professor in Nursing at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing. The multidisciplinary team includes engineers, nurses, physicians, and health services researchers from Vanderbilt and Ohio State.