Abstract
The article sheds light on psychological and work science aspects of the design and utilization of service robots. An initial presentation of the characteristics of man–robot interaction is followed by a discussion of the principles of the division of functions between human beings and robots in service area work systems. The following aspects are to be considered: (1) the organisation of societal work (such as the different employment and professional profiles of service employees), (2) the work tasks to be performed by humans and robots (such as handling, monitoring or decision-making tasks), (3) the possibilities and the limitations of realizing such tasks by means of information technology (depending, for example, on the motoric capabilities, perception and cognition of the robot). Consideration of these three design perspectives gives rise to criteria of usability. Current debate focuses on the (work science) principles of man–machine communication, though in future these should be supplemented with robot-specific criteria such as "motoric capabilities" or "relationship quality." The article concludes by advocating the convergence and combination of work science criteria with ideas drawn from participative design approaches in the development and utilization of service robots.
Highlights
The above psychological perspectives will be subsumed under a work science viewpoint, since the aim—as suggested by the term ‘‘service robotics’’—is to shed light on the potential consequences of the design and utilization of robots within the context of service work
From a work science viewpoint, service work differs from production work in that the intended utilization value of the work lies in the service activity itself and is not necessarily manifested in a material product: the utility value of the services provided by banks lies in the consultation of customers, even if today this consultation takes the form of a document and both the bank and the customer are using the consultation to pursue further objectives
As a result of the aspects cited above, human–robot interaction in the area of service robotics deals with both the potential aspects that are common to the interaction between humans, as well as addressing actual or anticipated differences vis-avis interactions between human beings
Summary
There is no such thing as the psychological perspective in the sense of a single coherent psychological view of service robotics: in the course of the further differentiation of the science of psychology and the development and differentiation of robotics, different psychological perspectives are discernible whose representatives are in some cases not even engaged in dialogue: the psychology of work and work science investigates the task appropriateness and usability of robotics, in addition to questions of work safety; cognitive psychology models the cognitive performance of human beings and robots, psycholinguistics analyses the linguistic behaviour of human beings and technical systems; social psychology addresses the significance of robotics in society, and even clinical psychology is involved, where robots are deployed for therapeutic purposes, as in the treatment for individuals suffering from dementia. The above psychological perspectives will be subsumed under a work science viewpoint, since the aim—as suggested by the term ‘‘service robotics’’—is to shed light on the potential consequences of the design and utilization of robots within the context of (professional or private) service work. From a work science viewpoint, service work differs from production work in that the intended utilization value of the work lies in the service activity itself and is not necessarily manifested in a material product: the utility value of the services provided by banks lies in the consultation of customers, even if today this consultation takes the form of a document (consultation documentation) and both the bank and the customer are using the consultation to pursue further (economic) objectives. This work science viewpoint is not commensurately reflected in the area of service robotics, as the term ‘‘service robotics’’ is usually applied as a mere negative differentiation from ‘‘industrial robotics’’ (cf Decker et al 2011). We will be dealing with these two former types of robots
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