User-Informed Design of a Psychological Support Social Pet Robot for Community-Dwelling People With Long-Term Physical Disabilities: A Formative Study

In a formative study with six community-dwelling adults with long-term physical disabilities, user input identified 5 design themes, including emotional support and accessibility needs.

• Why it matters: People with long-term physical disabilities may face pain that disrupts daily and social life and is linked to worse mental wellbeing, yet early robot design requirements are unclear.
• What they did: The team ran a 3-phase user-informed design process—concept development, qualitative interviews, and a design workshop—then synthesized interview themes into candidate dialogue and mindfulness requirements.
• The result: The resulting home-focused concept paired mood check-ins with companion-oriented interaction and flexible mindfulness delivery, while a proof-of-concept prototype implemented only part of the requirements.

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