THE PROJECT

Miroki was tested at the Annie Girardot AP-HP nursing home in real caregiving conditions to explore how a social robot could support hydration reminders and resident wellbeing checks. Over two weeks, researchers observed daily interactions, ran interviews, and mapped workflows to identify tasks that could be delegated to the robot and reduce physical effort for staff.

The pilot involved 28 caregivers and 10 residents, with an average of 40 minutes per person, and included 3 focus groups gathering more than 40 professionals (with more planned later). Most participants reported that Miroki could be useful for helping residents stay hydrated and detecting potential issues early.

Beyond usefulness, the experiment focused on how trust develops between caregivers, residents, and the robot — especially when Miroki faces limitations such as navigation difficulties, misunderstandings, or bugs. A key research topic was the use of adaptive “mouth sounds” during dialogue, designed to match the evolving relationship between Miroki and each user.

The study aimed to measure the impact of these cues on functional trust, relational trust, and even caregivers’ internal feelings such as confidence during the task. This long-format deployment was also one of the first times Miroki stayed for several weeks in a care facility, making it a major learning milestone for healthcare environments.