Proceedings of the 54th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2021

This paper takes an interest in examining the potential of robotic pet toys as social companions, which activate social and empathy experiences of the elderly and by doing so, increase their wellbeing. In order to study the benefits of using Golden Pup, a commercial robot dog, we designed and performed a research intervention at a senior day activity center with 10 participants of ages 65-80+ years interested in the firsthand user experiences. This study suggests how robotic pets can be used to activate the social and empathy experiences of elderly, and illuminates the role of reciprocity in building a relationship with a robotic pet. We present novel results on how a robot dog with a natural interface may evoke social and empathy experiences as part of playful, intergenerational group activities.