Human-robot interaction (HRI) promises to be a means whereby manufacturing companies will be able to address current challenges like a higher demand for customization. However, despite comparably low costs, there are only few applications in practice. To date, it remains unclear which factors facilitate or hinder the successful introduction of industrial collaborative robots (cobots). In a three-step approach, we first developed a comprehensive two-dimensional framework covering three separate phases and four essential components for human-robot working systems. Secondly, we reviewed related literature to identify relevant success factors. Thirdly, in an online survey we asked leading representatives of German manufacturing companies (n = 81) to assess the importance of these factors from a practical point of view. The results reveal that besides technology-related factors like occupational safety and appropriate cobot configuration, employee-centered factors like the fear of job loss and ensuring an appropriate level of trust in the robot are considered important. However, company representatives seem to underestimate the impact of subtle measures to increase employee acceptance which could be incorporated into internal communication strategies prior to and during the introduction of cobots. Comparative analysis based on three distinct application scenarios suggests that most success factors’ practical importance is independent of the motivation for implementing HRI. Furthermore, answers from practitioners in free-text fields reveal that success factors which intuitively come to their mind such as financial factors are not necessarily perceived most important. Finally, we argue for more application-oriented research that focuses on practically relevant factors to guide HRI research, inform cobot development, and support companies in overcoming apparent barriers.

Research has shown that providing participants with high-quality learning material is not sufficient to help them profit most from online education. The level of interaction among participants is another key determinant for learning outcomes. However, merely proposing interaction does not automatically lead to fruitful discussion and collaboration. Specifically, social presence and facilitation activities add value to online discussions. In Murphy's collaboration framework, social presence represents the basis of successful online collaboration from which more reflective discussions and coconstruction can evolve. In this paper, an adjusted version of this framework was applied in a workplace learning context. The content analysis of 1170 comments in an online course for careers practitioners of a public employment service showed that the extended framework generated deeper insights into the dynamics of online discussions. The results show that involvement in collaborative learning at the workplace was supported by a high social presence and influenced by course topic and tasks. Facilitation played an important role in creating a sympathetic sense of community and stimulating co-creation processes.

Collaborative robots are a new type of lightweight robots that are especially suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. They offer new interaction opportunities and thereby pose new challenges with regard to technology acceptance. Despite acknowledging the importance of acceptance issues, small and medium-sized enterprises often lack coherent strategies to identify barriers and foster acceptance. Therefore, in this article, we present a collection of crucial acceptance factors with regard to collaborative robot use at the industrial workplace. Based on these factors, we present a web-based tool to estimate employee acceptance, to provide company representatives with practical recommendations and to stimulate reflection on acceptance issues. An evaluation with three German small and medium-sized enterprises reveals that the tool’s concept meets the demands of small and medium-sized enterprises and is perceived as beneficial as it raises awareness and deepens knowledge on this topic. In order to realise economic potentials, further low-threshold usable tools are needed to transfer research findings into the daily practice of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Please refer to published version for the most recent bibliographic citation information. If a published version is known of, the repository item page linked to above, will contain details on accessing it.

No abstract