CHART members Samuel Olatunji, PH.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, Harshal Mahajan PH. D., Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of Research at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home, and Wendy Rogers PH.D., Khan Professor of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Director of CHART and the McKechnie Family LIFE Home were selected to receive a 2024 Innovation Research on Aging Bronze Award from the Mather Institute for their research article entitled, “Immersive participatory design of assistive robots to support older adults.”  The article focuses on the research work they have done with Stretch, a robot created by Hello Robot Inc. In their research, Stretch functions as an assistive robot that assists older adults and their caregivers with day- to-day tasks at home. Their research goal is to identify user-specific design factors so Stretch will be reliable and effective in its job. Stretch was placed in the homes of older adults with motor impairments. 

These awards “recognize applied research that offers important implications for the aging services industry and inspires next practices.” Congratulations team! 

Olatunji, S.A., Nguyen, V., Cakmak, M., Edsinger, A., Kemp, C.C., Rogers, W.A., & Mahajan, H.P. (2024). Immersive participatory design of assistive robots to support older adults. Ergonomics, 67, 717–731. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2024.2312529