# NRI: Robot-Assisted Longitudinal Physical and Cognitive Exercise Interventions for Older Veterans

> **NIH NIH R01** · OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $262,343

## Abstract

The proposed research will study the effects of robot-mediated physical and cognitive exercise activities
 on older adult wellness, in particular when the intervention has been designed with stakeholders (e.g.,
 skilled nursing facility staff and residents) in the loop and with the ability to adapt to changes in user ability
 over longitudinal use (as measured using assessments built into the exercise activities). As the worldwide
 population of older adults grows, the need for new resources to support wellness in older adult
 communities also rises. In particular, limitations are already present in resources available to encourage
 physical activity, cognitive exercise, social connectedness, and entertainment for members of these
 communities. Thus, to ensure healthy aging opportunities for older adults, there is a critical need to (1)
 design autonomous robotic systems to support these types of needs, (2) enable these systems with the
 ability to learn and adapt over time to maintain relevance and interest, and (3) to deploy these robotic
 systems for extended periods of time in the environments of interest.
The proposed work is unique in its research team, proposed exercise activities, methods of tracking user
ability levels, and consideration of long-term deployments in real environments of interest. The PIs'
partnership with a gerontologist (as Senior Personnel) and local skilled nursing facility (as a key
collaborator) from the start of the project supports this project's ability to successfully investigate a new
robot deployment application. The proposed exercise activities, as initially prototyped in the PI's past
work, combine physical and cognitive elements to different degrees depending on the activity, thereby
encouraging more mental engagement with physical tasks than pure physical exercise would typically
yield (and vice versa). Similarly, the updating of exercises over time supports continued engagement with
the robotic system and skill improvement in ways that most current tools do not allow for. Lastly, the
planned longitudinal deployment facilitates understanding how this type of robotic system can lead to
meaningful change in wellness (e.g., physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being) for older adults.
RELEVANCE (See instructions):
 The core research goal of this proposal centers on the human-centered design and long-term deployment
 of robots that can promote wellness in older adult communities (e.g., assisted living communities, skilled
 nursing facilities). In alignment with NIA interests, the project will conduct participatory robotic intervention
 design with older adult and skilled nursing facility stakeholders, perform design-build-test cycles of the
 resultant robotic intervention systems, and evaluate robotic system impact on health-related metrics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10499322
- **Project number:** 1R01AG078124-01
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Naomi T Fitter
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $262,343
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10499322

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10499322, NRI: Robot-Assisted Longitudinal Physical and Cognitive Exercise Interventions for Older Veterans (1R01AG078124-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10499322. Licensed CC0.

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