Robots on the Road: Exploring Assistive Technology at the Retirement Village

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting real-world impact beyond academia, the Horizon CDT offers small grants to help students explore creative, collaborative and community-focused projects. A great example is Angie’s recent Robots on the Road outreach event, which brought assistive technology out of the lab and into a local retirement village.

Using a CDT impact activity grant, Angela Higgins (2022 cohort) and the CHART team put together an inspiring, hands-on day that connected robotics research with the people it’s designed to support.

Take a look at how Angie brought robotics to life in the community:

by Angie Higgins

To design assistive technology that truly makes a difference, you sometimes have to take it out of the lab and into the hands of the people it’s meant for. That’s why we brought the robots of the Cobot Maker Space to Lark Hill Retirement Village: to spark curiosity, conversation, and connection between researchers and older adults in the community.

Researchers from the CHART (Cyber-physical Health and Assistive Robotics Technologies) group created a series of fun, hands-on robot demonstrations and showcased technologies designed to support healthcare and rehabilitation. We set up in the main thoroughfare of the village, meeting residents as they came down for their morning coffee. Dozens stopped by to interact with the robots, try out the tech, and share their thoughts (including some wonderfully honest feedback). We also spoke with wellbeing, fitness, and activity staff to understand how these technologies might fit into daily life at the village.

Written feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. Residents told us they left with a better understanding of robotics, AI, and health technologies, and expressed optimism about their potential uses for mobility, fitness, and reducing loneliness.

Outreach events like this are one of my favourite parts of the research process. The roadshow was a fantastic opportunity to bring researchers and community members together, exchanging ideas and experience, with a few laughs along the way. I hope to extend this initial roadshow to other locations, with the potential to develop a full AI education programme designed specifically for older adults in the future.

A huge thank you to the incredible team at Lark Hill, the technology research team at ExtraCare Charitable Trust, and Horizon CDT for the small impact grant that made this day possible.

Originally posted at https://cdt.horizon.ac.uk/2025/07/10/robots-on-the-road-exploring-assistive-technology-at-the-retirement-village/