Project Grant R44AG058337

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), under its Aging Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.866), awarded a $802,180 Project Grant (R21AG087192) to the University of Tennessee to develop and evaluate the Robot Interaction Scale of Engagement (RISE) system. This novel AI-driven social robot platform aims to provide Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregivers with essential information on effective care strategies, self-care, coping, and stress management techniques. The goal is to...

This Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) aims to foster the ethical adoption of artificial intelligence-enabled assistive robots (AIAR) in dementia care. The $179,449 award, granted on September 17, 2024, will fund a two-stage study to: 1) describe the experiences, ethical complexities, and decision-making processes associated with AIAR usage by people living with dementia, their care...

This $300,000 National Science Foundation project grant will support the development of remotely operated reconfigurable walker robots for eldercare services through February 2025. Funded under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program, the award recipient Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Volunteer Services, Inc. will conduct research to design a multi-functional robotic system that can alter its physical configuration to navigate residential environments. The robot is...

This $175,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) program supports the development of an AI-driven collaborative goal setting system with socially assistive robots to help individuals with mild cognitive impairments. The key goals of the 2-year project are to: 1) design a goal-setting framework using multimodal data to model each user's unique goal progress and motivation; 2) develop human-centric...

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), awarded a $399,988 Project Grant to Charles River Analytics, Inc. to prototype and demonstrate the feasibility of a Social, Assistive Mobile Manipulator (SAMM) software suite. The goal of this 12-month project is to enhance functional independence and psychosocial well-being in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI)-induced tetraplegia...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) supports research to create advanced, user-friendly assistive artificial intelligence (AI) systems that allow individuals with severe movement disabilities to control robotic devices. The $273,424 award to the University of Rhode Island (URI) will fund three main research thrusts: 1) optimizing user agency and satisfaction when interacting with a robotic arm using shared...

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded a $499,996 Project Grant under the Aging Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.866) to Beaver Health, Inc., a minority-owned, woman-owned small business, to develop a prototype of the COMPASS conversational AI assistant. COMPASS is designed to provide personalized, culturally responsive support and coordination for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) caregivers in real-time. The 12-month project aims to develop and test the initial...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.070 - Computer and Information Science and Engineering) provides $300,000 to Clemson University to design "future proofing" approaches that leverage smart objects and assistive technologies to help people experiencing cognitive decline, such as those living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, maintain their independence over time. The key products and services to be delivered under this 3-year award...

This Project Grant awarded by the National Institute on Aging (CFDA 93.866 - Aging Research) provides $3,645,585 to the University of Florida to develop an "Intelligent Social Risk Management in AD/ADRD Patients" (ISMART) platform. The goal is to leverage electronic health records and machine learning to identify social determinants of health that impact care and outcomes for people living with dementia, especially those from racial/ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) provides $650,000 to develop a soft growing robotic system to assist older adults and their caregivers with mobility support. The project aims to create an easy-to-use robotic belt that can safely transfer older adults from bed to wheelchair, reducing the physical burden on caregivers. The award includes sub-grants to the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center,...