Robot Users Research Articles

외식산업 서비스 로봇의 지각된 품질, 기술수용, 소비행동의도 간의 구조적 관계

The purpose of this study was to develop the model that would demonstrate a structural relationship between perceived quality, technology acceptance, and consumption behavioral intention of service robots in the food service industry. This study also aimed to verify the mediating effect of usefulness and ease of use on the relationship between perceived quality and consumption behavioral intention in service robots. The study subjects were males and females who had experience using food service industry service robots in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The results were as follows. First, the product quality, as perceived by service robot users, had an impact on usefulness. Secondly, the system quality by service robot users did not have an impact on its usefulness. Third, the product and system quality by service robot users had an impact on the ease of use. Fourth, the product quality, usefulness and ease of use by service robot users had an effect on consumption behavioral intention. Fifth, it was found that the usefulness and ease of use had mediating effects on the relationship between product quality and consumption behavioral intention of service robots in the food service industry. In the future, if reliable and technologically advanced service robots appear, consumers’ perception of eating out is expected to change. In other words, in order for service robot technology to become familiar to consumers, it should be able to provide curiosity and pleasure, along with ease of operation, during the process of operating service robots.

Acceptance of service robots: a meta-analysis in the hospitality and tourism industry

ABSTRACT Robot services have become an essential competitive differentiator in the hospitality and tourism industry. Seminal studies indicate the need for more profound knowledge about the factors that can increase the acceptance of service robots. This paper investigates the relationship between informational cues and acceptance of service robots through a meta-analysis. Our study also analyzes the acceptance of service robots through contextual characteristics moderators. The results showed that perceived robot trust influences the relationship between informational cues (anthropomorphism and social influence) and acceptance of service robots. By analyzing previous studies, our framework demonstrates that acceptance of service robots has increased more after the COVID pandemic than before the COVID pandemic. Furthermore, the relationship between attitude toward robots and robot usage intention tends to be greater in humanoid service robots (than social robots) and analytical intelligence (than mechanical intelligence).

A Systematic Review of the Challenges in Teaching Programming for Primary Schools’ Students

Programming and coding in primary education become solicitude globally today. Governments all over the world agreed on the importance of education towards workforce empowerment in the future for the country's development. As primary education is the foundation to produce future human resources, the government decided to make curricular changes starting with young learners. The schooling system tries to adapt to the rapid changes caused by The Industrial Revolution 4.0 by introducing programming education at an early stage. The increased usage of automation, robots, and artificial intelligence in the industry nowadays makes people aware of the importance of mastering programming and coding skill to survive in their future careers. Through the learning process of programming and coding, young students start to be exposed to computational skill which involves critical thinking and imagining creatively. Programming and coding education promote computational thinking for young learners which includes problem-solving skills like deconstruction, abstraction, pattern recognition, and algorithms. This paper examines research exploring the challenges faced by teachers, students, facilities, parents, and the government in the implementation of programming education in primary schools. The exploration was done through a systematic literature review of 20 articles published between the years 2018 and 2022. The selection of 20 articles required is based on the PRISMA guidelines to select papers. The findings provide insight into what has and has not been studied across a range of literature and the alignment with the broader context of programming education at the primary level. From this study, it can be identified that teachers’ competency, teachers’ digital pedagogy, students’ readiness, school facilities, parents’ support, and government educational planning play a very important role to make programming education for young learners successful.

The usage of RFID robots in logistics process management

The aim of this post is to point out the use of RFID robots in the management of logistics processes. RFID technology is defined first. RFID technology represents identification using radio frequency waves. The principle is to store the necessary data in radio frequency memory chips and then repeatedly read or write the data using a reader. We divide RFID chips into active and passive. Active RFID chips use energy from a battery, while passive RFID chips are a technology without an internal power source. Passive RFID is the most common form of RFID in warehouses, using which inventory is taken using RFID robots or hand-held RFID readers. Nowadays, many RFID robots from different manufacturers are available on the market. When choosing, I must consider where we want to use the RFID robot and choose the one that suits us based on its specific characteristics. The RFID robot is a mobile and autonomous RFID system that performs an inventory of the given space based on our initial setup. The RFID robot locates each item in 2 dimensions (x and y). Most robots can move in all directions because they can rotate without shifting. The accuracy of the inventory using the RFID robot ranges from 95-99%, while the accuracy of the inventory performed by employees using handheld RFID readers ranges from 85-95%. As for speed, it is on average 10 times faster compared to manual RFID readers.

Areas and contexts of the use of robotics in libraries: an overview of the applied solutions and a discussion of prospects

PurposeRobotics is a topic that rarely appears in Library and Information Science literature as it is mainly explored in the field of computer science. It is also a very complex topic that covers various forms of technical solutions that have varying degrees of complexity; these are conventionally referred to as robots. The aim of this article is to present an overview of the applied solutions from the field of robotics in libraries and a discussion of the future prospects for their use in various areas of library activity.Design/methodology/approachThe article is based on a literature review. Systematic comparative searches were made in the Scopus and Web of Science databases and the popular Google Scholar search engine. Publications in English related to the use of robots in libraries were sought in the 2010–2021 period. The results were subjected to qualitative analysis in order to define the main directions of reflection.FindingsThe conducted analyses showed that the topic of the use of robots in libraries is relatively rarely mentioned in LIS literature as the main topic of considerations. In practice, however, many interesting examples of the use of robots in libraries can be found, mainly in the area of educational and popularizing activities.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is based on a systematic literature review. However, it is based on selected information sources and covers a specific chronological range, therefore it does not reflect all publications in the field of using robots in libraries. The second limitation concerns the examples of library activities mentioned in the text. For obvious reasons, it is not possible to describe all interesting initiatives, so a selection was made to illustrate the main trends.Practical implicationsRobots have a wide practical application in library activities, as evidenced by the examples described in this paper. Systematized reflection on this topic may promote the popularization of the practical implementation of robots in libraries.Social implicationsRobotics is a topic that, due to a lack of reliable knowledge, is often of great concern and social controversy. Disseminating knowledge about the usability of robots may foster a peaceful social debate on this topic.Originality/valueRobotics-related topics are still rarely discussed in the LIS subject literature. In particular, there are no entry-level review articles that would familiarize a reader with the most important findings on the practical aspects of implementing robots in libraries and provide a starting point for reading more detailed publications on specific technologies or implementations.

Financial Re-Engineering and Financial Performance of Poultry Business in Nigeria

The poultry industry as the largest employer of labour in the organised private sector and contributes 25% to Nigeria GDP. Previous studies had not adequately been able to integrate the process of capturing performance of poultry business using the balanced scorecard performance pillars. Thus, this study examined the impact of financial re-engineering on corporate performance and the sub-variables of the poultry business in Nigeria. The study used survey research. 4,324 active farmers and major stakeholders in the poultry industry from Nigeria's six geopolitical zones made up the study's population. The Taro Yamane sample size formula was used to determine the sample size of 450 with a response rate of 84%. The range of the constructs' Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients was 0.87 to 0.95. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (multiple regression) analysis with a 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that all financial re-engineering proxies had a significant effect on financial performance (Adj. R2= 0.535, F(5,379) = 87.901, p < 0.05).The study concluded that the study concluded that financial re-engineering has significant effect on financial performance of the poultry business while the lag in the adoption of modern technology including the usage of artificial intelligence and robotics reflected in sub-optimal performance which need be focused for effective asset utilisation. The study recommended the introduction of standards that will aid the starting point of using financial results to drive the business and make credit availability easier in support of various government and non-governmental aids and grants.

Accounting for Diversity in Robot Design, Testbeds, and Safety Standardization

Science has started highlighting the importance of integrating diversity considerations in medicine and healthcare. However, there is little research into how these considerations apply, affect, and should be integrated into concrete healthcare innovations such as rehabilitation robotics. Robot policy ecosystems are also oblivious to the vast landscape of gender identity understanding, often ignoring these considerations and failing to guide developers in integrating them to ensure they meet user needs. While this ignorance may be for the traditional heteronormative configuration of the medical, technical, and legal world, the ending result is the failure of roboticists to consider them in robot development. However, missing diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations can result in robotic systems that can compromise user safety, be discriminatory, and not respect their fundamental rights. This paper explores the impact of overlooking gender and sex considerations in robot design on users. We focus on the safety standard for personal care robots ISO 13482:2014 and zoom in on lower-limb exoskeletons. Our findings signal that ISO 13482:2014 has significant gaps concerning intersectional aspects like sex, gender, age, or health conditions and, because of that, developers are creating robot systems that, despite adherence to the standard, can still cause harm to users. In short, our observations show that robotic exoskeletons operate intimately with users’ bodies, thus exemplifying how gender and medical conditions might introduce dissimilarities in human–robot interaction that, as long as they remain ignored in regulations, may compromise user safety. We conclude the article by putting forward particular recommendations to update ISO 13482:2014 to reflect better the broad diversity of users of personal care robots.

Industrial Robots, Economic Growth, and Sustainable Development in an Aging Society

The impact of industrial robots and aging on economic growth is analyzed using both theoretical and empirical models in this paper. An aging mechanism is integrated into the task model and Solow model, which integrates the existing relationship between industrial robots and economic growth. Our data come from the International Robot Federation, Penn World Table, and the World Bank, and we obtain robot usage data and macroeconomic data for 77 countries and regions between 1993 and 2019. We found that industrial robots can stimulate economic growth, but aging does not affect it. It is worth noting that aging has more adverse effects on economies using industrial robots than economies without industrial robots. Further, according to mechanism analysis, the main channel of economic growth is industrial robots replacing labor, followed by improving total factor productivity (TFP), a measure of technological change in an economy. Given endogenous problems, the results are still stable.

Long-term effect of the absence of a companion robot on older adults: A preliminary pilot study

Robotic assistive technology for frail older adults has drawn attention, along with raising ethical concerns. The ethical implications of a robot's usage have been characterized in the literature as detrimental, such as emotional deception, unhealthy attachment, and reduced human contact from a deontological perspective. These concerns require practical investigations, although the long-term effect of robot usage on older adults remains uncertain. Our longitudinal study aimed to investigate how older adults with cognitive decline could be affected by using a robot for communication in their homes and how this situation could be reflected in possible emotional attachment to the robot i.e., emotional distress from the robot being taken away once they had become attached to it. We selected 13 older adults living alone and set up a humanoid robot in their homes with whom they could interact at any time for a period of 1–4 months. Questionnaire results indicated participants had a close attachment to the robots even after they were taken away. Interviews revealed that participants became distressed without the robots; however, despite the distress caused by feeling lonely, participants reported that their relationships with the robots were meaningful and that they were satisfied with the memories of having had the robot as a companion. The results raised new questions for further investigation into issues that should be addressed and potential factors affecting the user's adaptation processes. Regarding the consequences of the use of a companion robot, it is important to evaluate the positive aspects of the robot's usage including the emotional support lasting after it was no longer available and other effects on the users. Accordingly, we emphasize the significance of real-world exploration into the effects on the users as well as theoretical reflection on appropriate robot usage.

Technological anxiety: How robots impact college graduates’ informal employment?

ABSTRACT This study estimates the impact of robots on the informal employment of college graduates. Combining data on robot usage from the International Federation of Robotics Reports and the National Employment Survey of College Graduates, we find that a decline in informal employment among college graduates is associated with an increase in robot usage. Further, we exploit a Bartik instrument based on the exposure of robots from the five main importing countries to China to address endogeneity. As a consequence of robotic technological shock, graduates place a greater preference on a job’s reputation, remuneration and stability than flexibility, which reduces their likelihood of engaging in informal employment. Moreover, robots in both the industrial and service sectors have a significant impact on college graduates, and those in the industrial sector are more likely to be squeezed out. Our study suggests an implication for ensuring the quality of college graduates’ development.

Curvature Tracking of a Two-Segmented Soft Finger Using an Adaptive Sliding-Mode Controller

The emergence of soft robotics in the last decade has brought about the exponential usage of elastomer bending robots in numerous fields of expertise from prosthetic hands to industrial grippers. While considerable attention has been drawn to static grasp, a substantial gap can be recognized in the development of soft grippers and anthropomorphic hands with the ability to manipulate objects dynamically, an ability that is referred to as in-hand object manipulation. In order to fill this gap, efficient and practical approaches should be investigated for the fabrication, modeling, and control of soft robots that are computationally efficient and capable of yielding repeatable results. Accordingly, in this article, qualified approaches for the dynamic modeling and control of a soft bending finger are introduced that can be efficiently implemented for planar in-hand manipulation applications in soft robotics. In this regard, a novel 3-D-printed mold is designed to cast a uniformly fabricated soft finger consisting of two independently actuated bending segments. After deriving the dynamic model of the soft finger and identifying its dynamic parameters, an adaptive sliding-mode controller is proposed to guarantee the convergence of the bending angles to desired trajectories under dynamic uncertainties and external disturbances. In the experimental validations, the root-mean-square errors of the proposed controller are 0.0323 and 0.0303 rad/m in free motion for each segment, while these numbers are 0.0328 and 0.0226 rad/m for constrained motion. For a comparative evaluation of the proposed controller, the results of the proportional–integral–differential controller are demonstrated under similar circumstances.

Hizmet sektöründe insansı robot kullanımı üzerine bir literatür incelemesi

Modern anlamda ilk insansı robot, 1973 yılında geliştirilmiştir. Zaman içerisinde gerçekleşen teknolojik gelişmeler, daha karmaşık görevleri yerine getiren insansı robotların üretilmesini sağlamıştır. Bu durum, insansı robotların kullanımını giderek yaygınlaştırmıştır. İnsansı robotların iş dünyasında giderek yaygınlaşması, onlarla etkileşime geçen bireylerin algı, tutum ve davranışlarının belirlenmesini önemli hale getirmiştir. Bu konuda tüketicilerin algı, tutum ve davranışları belirsizdir. Ayrıca insansı robotların giderek çalışanların yerini alması ya da çalışanlarla birlikte görevleri yerine getirmesi, çalışanlar üzerine stres oluşturmaktadır. Bununla birlikte işverenlerin, konuya verimlilik ve maliyet açısından yaklaştığı görülmektedir. Ülkemizde insansı robot kavramı, genel olarak mühendislik bakış açısıyla incelenmiştir. Sosyal bilim temelinde yapılan çalışmaların daha sınırlı olduğu görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada insansı robot ve hizmet sektöründe insansı robot kullanımı üzerine yapılan araştırmalar incelenmektedir. Literatürde konunun farklı hizmet türlerinde, farklı katılımcılar üzerinde çeşitli teknikler kullanılarak incelendiği görülmektedir. Yapılan incelemelere göre, insansı robotların performanslarının yeterli olarak görülmediği, genel olarak bireylerin insansı robota karşı tutum ve davranışlarının olumlu olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çalışmanın katkısı, hem akademisyenlere hem de uygulamacılara yöneliktir. Tüketici davranışları ve hizmet sektörü üzerinde çalışan araştırmacılara yeni araştırma konuları belirleme konusunda rehberlik etmesi beklenirken, uygulamacılara da insansı robot yatırımları üzerine rehberlik etmesi beklenmektedir.

How Will AI And Robotics Transform the Traditional Roles and Mandates of Teachers and Students?

This paper seeks to provide an overview of research usage of Artificial Intelligence and robotics in education and how it affects students and teachers. Out of 48 originally identified sources of information including research papers, websites and government studies 25 were included in the final synthesis of the paper. This paper entails of the advantages, disadvantages of AI for teachers and students by providing multiple point-of-views and citing official studies and statistics. A search on scholar.google.com[1] 45,50,000 sources of information and a search on dl.acm.org[2] led to 202,000 results. To filter the multiple sources I took papers with information on the present of the predicted future or with information regarding teachers and students only and no external effects. After multiple such filters I cited approximately 20 to 25 sources.

How Does Usage of Robot Affect Corporate Carbon Emissions?—Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector

Robot usage has become an intrinsic requirement to drive the intelligence transformation of the manufacturing industry, providing a key driver for carbon emission reduction in China’s manufacturing industry. This paper examines the carbon emission reduction effect of robot usage at three levels: theoretical, empirical, and decomposition. On the basis of the pollution emission data of segments of China’s manufacturing industry from 2006 to 2020, the paper takes matching robot stock and incremental data from the International Federation of Robotics statistics, and applies the instrumental variable method to identify and estimate the role played by industry robot stock and incremental improvement in reducing pollution emissions. The empirical results show that the usage of robots does significantly reduce the carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry in China. Further, mechanism testing revealed that robot use reduces corporate pollution emissions mainly through channels such as R&D investment and manual substitution. The research provides microscopic evidence for objectively assessing the impact of robot use on environmental pollution emissions from the perspective of promoting robot applications, and suggests policy recommendations for reducing pollution emissions from China’s manufacturing sector, which can help achieve harmonious economic and environmental development.

Robotic Rehabilitation in Stroke conditions: Concepts and Contexts – A Review

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the two forms of robotic rehabilitation (exoskeletal and end-effector), the procedures used in rehabilitation, and the benefits for post-stroke patients. Method: Articles from various journals in PubMed were extensively reviewed in a methodical manner. The data collection and gathering took place on February 14-15, 2023. The topics examined were primarily concerned with robotics and its application in the therapeutic rehabilitation of stroke patients, with a particular emphasis on task-oriented training of the upper and lower extremities for motor function improvement and exoskeletal instruments as guidance for initiating movements. Exoskeletal and end effector robots were used in three methods: average, full, and equilibrium. Results: Exoskeletal RTT and End-effector RTT were discovered to be useful in the restoration of therapeutic or functional ambulatory capacity in post-stroke patients. The usage of robotics has resulted in greater trunk control, an improvement in the sleep-wake rhythm, a reduction in perceived exhaustion while performing daily living tasks, pain relief, and an increase in mental health. Conclusion: This article review reveals that the introduction of robotic therapy into standard treatment regimens appears to be the future of stroke rehabilitation. Using tailored gait assistance during rehabilitation walking training for hemiplegic stroke patients can significantly boost energy efficiency. In individuals identified with stroke within six months, robot-assisted therapy resulted in functional and disability improvements comparable to, but not significantly superior to, standard care.

Intuitive and Flexible Process Control for Autonomous Mobile Robots: A Case Study in a Large Logistics Enterprise

Although the usage of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) has many advantages, the implementation of AMRs is often hindered through expensive programming, unfavorable process requirements and insufficient operator interaction possibilities. In this paper, we present an analysis of the intralogistic processes in the technical centers of a large automotive logistics enterprise and discuss the challenges of AMR implementation. Based on this analysis and our previous research on an intuitive control software, we present a concept on how to implement flexible and intuitive process control for AMRs. This includes the definition of a visual programming interface, an extended human-machine-interface (HMI) that improves communication between operators and AMRs, and a planning tool that manages multiple AMRs and operators. The results of our process analysis in the selected enterprise show that the design of the shop floor, process flexibility and the task itself, which often requires human interaction with the AMR, are challenges that hinder the implementation of current AMRs. This is mostly attributed to the AMRs requirements of a mostly static environment and process structure. Especially ad hoc changes to the process that needs to be implemented immediately are often required and cannot be realized with usual AMR software. Therefore, our interface concept strongly couples the programmed AMR routines with our HMI on mobile devices that are carried by each operator. This way, we provide flexible interaction between AMR and operators. We further discuss how we plan to implement and evaluate our proposed concepts and tools within the presented enterprise.

Development of Dual-Unit Ceiling Adhesion Robot System With Passive Hinge for Obstacle Traversal Under Kinodynamic Constraints

The inspection of high ceilings or surfaces is important to ensure the quality and safety of infrastructure; however, the approach adopted by people or conventional robots is rather limited. Kinodynamic constraints (simultaneous kinematic and dynamic constraints) are presented by obstacles in real-life scenarios, such as suspended piping and wiring, which further limits the usability of robots. Therefore, this paper proposed an adhesion robot system that is attached to and maneuvers on flat and curved ceilings while traversing obstructions. To traverse obstacles, the robot comprises two units connected by a passive hinge mechanism. Traversal motion is achieved under adhesion force control with preexisting electric ducted fans without using separate hinge motors; thus, no additional weight is included. In addition to robot hardware, this study investigated the development of a control method based on dynamic analysis under the aforementioned kinodynamic constraints. Specifically, the proposed control algorithm considers the slipping and rollover conditions of the robot caused by the external force and moment applied to the unit during the obstacle traversal, respectively. The algorithm was systematically analyzed by conducting simulations to prevent the robot from experiencing adhesion failure, and the results were verified experimentally. The use of the robot in real-life scenarios was determined by performing feasibility tests in real-life applications.

Actual Condition Survey for Proposal of Cleaning Methods for Fabric Therapy Robots

I surveyed of the actual conditions of robot users' cleaning for their robots for proposing a cleaning method that can be continued daily. As a result, I confirmed that it is important for manufacturers to provide a cleaning method.

Robotic Solutions for Air Duct Cleaning: An Overview of Current Research and Applications

According to studies conducted abroad, the HVAC system is to blame for 70% or more of all IAQ problems, and most of these problems are brought on by inadequate system care and maintenance. The lungs of a building, the air ducts, can accumulate deposits of construction grime, dust, tar from cigarettes, insects, smoke and other airborne contaminants. These distribution systems need to be inspected frequently in order to maintain the high efficiency of the air conditioners and lower effect losses. There is evidence that ventilation ducts in HVAC systems can accumulate dust and serve as breeding grounds for microbes even when they are operating normally. The building’s AC duct placement makes it impossible to clean by hand. An assessment of the current state of knowledge and comprehension about the employment of robots for air duct cleaning is what this review paper intends to do. The various varieties of air duct cleaning robots, as well as their capabilities and effectiveness in comparison to more conventional cleaning techniques, will be examined in this study. The cost, effectiveness, and safety of deploying robots to clean air ducts will also be discussed in this study, along with some of their benefits and drawbacks. The review will also look at the state of research and development in the area and identify any potential trends or difficulties in the use of robots for cleaning air ducts in the future. The paper will include a full evaluation of previous research on the subject, including studies, publications, and reports, as well as the methodology employed. The study will include findings and suggestions about the usage of robots for cleaning air ducts for facility managers, researchers, and air duct cleaning specialists. The paper’s overall goal is to present a thorough overview of the status of technology today and some of its prospective air duct cleaning applications.

The impact of different types of service robots usage in hotels on guests’ intention to stay

酒店不同类型服务机器人的使用对客人入住意愿的影响摘要研究目的本研究以技术接受模型 (TAM)为理论, 考察了消费者如何看待使用机器人技术的两个类别下评估的十二项服务的重要性。研究设计/方法/途径本研究使用概念模型分析和具有偏最小二乘估计方法的结构方程建模, 考虑了 638 个响应。研究发现：结果表明“房间划分”和“餐饮和二级服务”下机器人服务交付任务的感知重要性对感知有用性（PU）和感知易用性（PEOU）的影响不同。此外, PEOU 和 PU 显着影响使用机器人酒店的态度。研究局限本研究采用非概率便利抽样方法作为数据收集方法。本文为未来更偏好概率方法的研究将为评估结果开辟不同的视角。研究实践意义本研究的实证结果揭示了客户认为重要的机器人提供服务, 并有助于提高客户满意度和忠诚度。此外, 研究结果还有助于指导后 Covid-19 时代旅游和酒店业的准确需求和投资规划。研究原创性/价值据我们所知, 以前的文献尚未测试或证实与两组机器人服务交付任务相关的感知重要性对功用性变量的影响。本研究通过检查不同的机器人服务交付任务如何与酒店环境中的 TAM 框架相关联, 为文献做出了贡献。