Social domestication of service robots: The secret lives of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) at a Norwegian hospital

Abstract

This paper explores how robots that are not designed for being social can still act and be perceived as social and what form this social interaction takes. It does so through a case study of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) at a Norwegian hospital that interact with patients, nurses, caregivers and other machinery. These robots are primarily tasked with moving goods such as medical equipment, food and garbage and are programmed to be automated, e.g., taking hospital elevators by themselves. Although the robots are unanthropomorphized, our research shows a strong perception of autonomy of the AGVs, specifically in relation to how voices and appearances of robots can make the robots more acceptable through appearing more “alive.” They take part in an intricate domestication process as non-human actors relating to the human actors that also frequent the hospital corridors, making them part of the digitalization infrastructure at the hospital. This is particularly tied to their usage of the local Norwegian dialect and a projection of clumsiness, which gives them a sense of personality, or an impression of being friendly animal-like creatures one can enjoy observing without interacting with. This is framed theoretically through three dimensions of understanding the domestication of social robots as healthcare technology. The first dimension is Practical Domestication, where using voice as a "human factor" in unanthropomorphized robots can be of great value, if done well, by making them more approachable. A non-standardized voice can be an effective tool to give the robot a sense of personality. The second dimension is Symbolical Domestication, seeing how unanthropomorphized robots present novel ways of achieving trust from the public. When people get to know the non-perfect robot in itself, not masked as a person or animal, there is interest and trust in the machine. The last dimension is Cognitive Domestication, seeing how human practices change through the interaction with technology. Additionally, we suggest that there is a fourth dimension, which we term Social Domestication, at work.