Beyond Companionship: Robotic Pets as Embodied Communication Media for Older Adults

Abstract

Robotic pets for older adults are typically studied as companions, with the older person positioned as the robot's primary interaction partner. This framing overlooks another role: a petlike robot can mediate relationships between people. We report a formative qualitative interview study with six adults aged 63-77 in Germany. Interviews examined participants' existing communication practices, experiences of being alone, and responses to scenarios in which a robotic pet could carry voice messages, support calls, move through the home, or convey a remote family member's actions. Thematic qualitative content analysis identified four findings. Participants maintained relationships through flexible combinations of telephone, messaging, and video calls; imagined petlike movement, proximity, voice, and touch-like gestures adding embodied presence to those channels; combined expectations of communication, companionship, and practical assistance; and made acceptance conditional on customization, hygiene, ease of use, and human control. Drawing together HCI research on mediated intimacy, CSCW research on awareness and care networks, and HRI research on social and telepresence robots, we contribute (1) an empirical account of how older adults imagine petlike embodiment carrying another person's presence, (2) the concept of robotic pets as embodied communication media, and (3) a four-part sensitizing framework organized around relational purpose, source of agency, mode of embodiment, and governance. The study identifies design hypotheses; it does not test a robot or establish effects on loneliness, depression, or relationship quality.