Abstract
Abstract The media and political-managerial levels focus on the opportunities to re-perform the Scandinavian welfare states through digitization. Especially in Denmark, this trend is prominent. Welfare technology is a Scandinavian notion used to point at assistive technologies intending to support the elderly, the disabled and care providers. Feeding assistive robotics (FAR) is a welfare technology relevant to citizens with no or low function in their arms. Despite national dissemination strategies, it proves difficult to recruit suitable users. There have been many promises for the potential of assistive robotics including more cost-efficient healthcare delivery, engaged patients and connected care providers. However, the realities of enacting assistive robotics, whether as patients or care providers, can be complicated in ways often unanticipated by government agencies and technology developers. This study discusses governmental agencies’ and technology developers’ visions with regard to what robotics may do and argues that these visions intertwine with affected stakeholders’ organizing of theirworlds. On this founding, the article discusses the resulting tinkering during implementation. The study exemplifies and demonstrates how ethnography can be used as an important method in Human Robot Interaction (HRI) research. The Actor Network Theory idea of ‘follow the actor’ inspired the study that took place as multi-sited ethnography at different locations in Denmark and Sweden. Based on desk research, observation of meals and interviews the study examines sociotechnical imaginaries and their practical and ethical implications.Human and FAR interaction demands engagement, sustained patience and understanding of the citizen’s particular body, identity and situation. The article contributes to the HRI literature by providing detailed empirical analysis based on an ethnographic studywhere political strategies, technology developers’ assumptions and affected stakeholders’ everyday hassles are in focus at the same time.
Highlights
Based on an ethnographic study this article explores the relation between the health political vision of assistive robotics and ongoing transformation in care for the disabled
In 2014 Local Government Denmark (LGDK) established the ‘Center for Welfare Technology’, an office with the task to continuously produce outcome measures for the dissemination of robust welfare technology in the municipalities based on convincing business cases
And methodologically, I have used inspiration from material semiotics, desk research, observation and stories told by a number of affected stakeholders
Summary
Based on an ethnographic study this article explores the relation between the health political vision of assistive robotics and ongoing transformation in care for the disabled. In ‘Modern Times’ his little vagabond struggles to survive in the modern, industrialized world during the depression and is hired at a factory As part of this imaginary, he is fed his lunch by crude machinery and, Chaplin showed, according to him, the horrible conditions of efficient modern industrialization. The use of FAR in care for the disabled is obviously much less sinister, but it still presents a complication of the relations between the technology, users, and CPs. Arguably, in order to ensure ethical and responsible development of assistive robotics, there appears to be too much distance between policy makers, technology developers and affected stakeholders. In order to ensure ethical and responsible development of assistive robotics, there appears to be too much distance between policy makers, technology developers and affected stakeholders This has likely to do with conflicting value systems that undermine the full use of the technology and hinder unfolding of potentials. In a comprehensive and thought-provoking review of ten pivotal ethnographic studies on the nature of the task of feeding dependent bodies [5] two consistently emerging tropes among CPs ‘feeding as task’ and ‘feeding
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