Spatial Design and Implementation of an Agent System Leading to Bed

This research focuses on improving the sleep process for the elderly, including those with dementia, and builds upon the works of Wan et al. [20] and Zhang et al. [24]. Wan et al. introduced a wall projection-type Humanitude agent system, employing multimodal interaction for the care of elderly individuals with dementia. This system uses a naked eye stereoscopic agent for visual presentation and air currents for tactile presentation, which has been confirmed effective in fostering an emotional connection. Zhang et al. proposed a blanket-type sleep support agent addressing older adults’ physical, cognitive, and psychological declines. This system uses visual presentation to lead the user to bed and features tactile presentation with blanket-type arms for gestures like patting and hugging. Our study develops an innovative system combining these approaches. It integrates visual presentation from the Humanitude agent with tactile presentation from the blanket-type sleep support agent. This system employs a projector for immersive visual presentations and a physical contact device simulating actions like tapping and stroking. Leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) and multimodal interaction, this study aims to provide a comforting sleep environment, enhancing sleep quality for the elderly and the general population. We evaluated the agent system’s effectivity, and the experiments’ results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed bed induction animation and tactile feedback resembling touch. Yet, the progression towards achieving deep sleep remains unverified.