Innovation in Aging - Are Older Adults Ready for Augmented Reality to Be the New FaceTime?

Sep 29, 2026

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Rapid advances in augmented reality (AR) extend video technologies such as FaceTime by increasing social presence, realism, and immersion, which may support social connectedness and reduce isolation among older adults. Yet older adults are often excluded from product development and testing, motivating a pilot with six older-adult pairs and designated family or friends. Over eight sessions across four weeks, photorealistic avatar telepresence was trialed; all participants completed sessions without AR sickness, reporting positive experiences and identifying usability and tool limitations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Pilot Study Overview

AR Telepresence Sessions and Co-Created Avatars

Measures, Outcomes, and Reported Challenges

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 1019 and Nilanjan Sarkar1, 1. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 2. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 3. The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States Rapid technological advances in augmented reality (AR) expand on existing video technologies (e.g., FaceTime), by offering greater social presence, realism, and immersion. Thus, AR is likely to enhance social connectedness and reduce isolation for older adults. However, older adults are often excluded during product development and/or testing. We conducted a pilot study with 6 pairs of older adults and designated family/friend to determine acceptability of AR telepresence. Each pair engaged in a shared activity through their photorealistic avatars during 8 sessions over 4 weeks. Photorealistic avatars were co-created with each participant, who provided feedback and approval on theirsand their partner’s avatars. We developed shared AR activities (checkers and home decoration) in earlier work. Data were collected at baseline, each session, and final session using surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observations. All participants completed all sessions with zero dropouts and no incidences of AR sickness. Four (25%) wanted more than one iteration to create an avatar meeting their approval. All expressed a positive attitude towards the AR experiences, e.g.,“I could use this to engage with my friend in Texas” and “I like it better than video call because I can see them here”. Three requested a video of their avatars to share with family. Two expressed interest in learning how to use AR to connect with grandchildren. Challenges included a steep learning curve, limited network, and lack of realistic avatar creation tools. Nevertheless, recent improvements in network capabilities and avatar generation technology enhance AR’s likelihood as the next FaceTime. SESSION 7545 (POSTER) TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH APPLICATION/ MEASUREMENT/DEVICES/EDUCATION Abstract citation ID: igaf122.3435 ARE OLDER ADULTS READY FOR AUGMENTED REALITY TO BE THE NEW FACETIME? Mahrukh Tauseef1, Zalen Ingram1, Rendong Zhang1, Cathy Maxwell2, Lisa Juckett3, Judith Tate3, Lorraine Mion3,

FAQs

What question does the study address about AR and older adults?

It evaluates whether older adults are ready for augmented reality telepresence to become the next FaceTime, focusing on acceptability and experience.

How was the AR telepresence trial conducted?

Six pairs of older adults and designated family/friends participated in eight shared-activity sessions over four weeks using photorealistic avatars.

What were the main findings and any challenges reported?

All participants completed all sessions with zero dropouts and no AR sickness, showed positive attitudes, and some requested improvements to avatar creation; challenges included learning difficulty, limited network access, and limited realistic avatar tools.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by ahduag