CARU’s Voice-controlled Emergency Call Feature: Results of the Acceptance Test in Switzerland

Background: The emergency call feature of CARU, a voice-assistant and smart sensor, was developed by CARU AG (Switzerland, Europe). The feature is innovative as it allows older people to call for help using their voice only. Little, however, is systematically known aboutthe acceptance of CARU’s emergency feature in older adults living in assisted living facilities.
Objective: The aim of this deliverable is to report on the results of the acceptance test (ACTEST) in Switzerland in older adults using the CARU emergency call in their apartments.
Methods: The ACTEST lasted two months (September to November 2020). The ACTEST survey was administered in two waves. ACTEST I included test scenarios for test emergency calls from different rooms followed by survey questions. ACTEST II consisted of survey questions only. Using UTAUT2 as a conceptual model, data on acceptance indicators and predictors were collected from more than 20 customers (in 4 assisted living facilities) of the bonacasa
AG, a provider of smart living services, via online-surveys. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate methods. In addition, a short questionnaire captured the view of bonacasa’s 24/7 emergency call centre staff.
Results: The results show that trial participants could recall how to trigger the alarm but experienced difficulties with being detected by the CARU sensor, particularly at the first attempt. Most of the successful alarms were triggered from the room within which the CARU sensor was placed. If a connection could be established, both the guidance by CARU and the emergency service centre staff were understood clearly. Most participants rated the emergency call via CARU as easy to learn. However, acceptance, measured as intention to use, was rated very low. Ratings differed substantially across assisted living facilities.