Social Values of Care Robots

Abstract

Care robots have the potential to address the challenge of aging societies, such as labor shortages or the aging workforce. While previous studies have focused mainly on the productivity or workability of care robots, there has been an increasing need to understand the social value of care robots. This study attempted to identify the social values of care robots by conducting focus group interviews (FGIs) with twenty-four care recipients and caregivers and by using analytic hierarchy processes (AHPs) with thirteen individuals with expertise in the care service and care robot industries. Our results show that the labor- and health-related benefits, the technology innovation, and the provision of essential care work have the highest importance among the criteria of care robots’ social values. The criteria that receive lowest priority are cost, the autonomy and needs of the care recipients, and the organizational innovation. Our study suggests that along with the private benefits and costs of care robots, their social values also need to be considered to improve the quality of care and to unlock the potential of the care robot industries.

Technology Acceptance of Socially Assistive Robots Among Older Adults and the Factors Influencing It: A Meta-Analysis

“…Studies have confirmed the efficacy of socially assistive robots in mental health (Huppertz et al, 2023) and geriatric care (Robillard & Kabacińska, 2020), which can enhance health of older adults by increasing their emotional support and social interaction (Pu et al, 2019). Socially assistive robots can alleviate the global shortage of human resources for geriatric care and meet the demand for older adult companionship (Kim et al, 2022). Studies have shown that understanding the current state of acceptance and its influencing factors can lead to targeted measures to improve the acceptance of older adults and thus promote healthy aging (Jung et al, 2023).…”