  Socially assistive robots (SARs) have shown great promise in supplementing
and augmenting interventions to support the physical and mental well-being of
older adults. However, past work has not yet explored the potential of applying
SAR to lower the barriers of long-term low vision rehabilitation (LVR)
interventions for older adults. In this work, we present a user-informed design
process to validate the motivation and identify major design principles for
developing SAR for long-term LVR. To evaluate user-perceived usefulness and
acceptance of SAR in this novel domain, we performed a two-phase study through
user surveys. First, a group (n=38) of older adults with LV completed a
mailed-in survey. Next, a new group (n=13) of older adults with LV saw an
in-clinic SAR demo and then completed the survey. The study participants
reported that SARs would be useful, trustworthy, easy to use, and enjoyable
while providing socio-emotional support to augment LVR interventions. The
in-clinic demo group reported significantly more positive opinions of the SAR's
capabilities than did the baseline survey group that used mailed-in forms
without the SAR demo.
