Technology Acceptance in Socially Assistive Robots: Scoping Review of Models, Measurement, and Influencing Factors

Abstract

Objectives. We summarized technology acceptance and the influencing factors of elderly people toward socially assistive robots (SARs). Methods. A scoping review whereby a literature search was conducted in Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases (2006–2021) to retrieve studies. No restrictions on study methodology were imposed. Results. Out of the 1187 retrieved papers, 35 studies were finally included in the study. The articles covered various aspects, including general attitudes towards using SARs, technology acceptance theory models, and factors associated with technology acceptance. Twelve studies reported a positive attitude towards SARs. Three explicit theoretical frameworks were reported. Studies involving the elderly reported three themes that influence attitudes towards SARs: individual characteristics, concerns/problems regarding robots, and social factors. Conclusions. This review elucidates on the suitability of theory-based framework as applied to acceptance of SARs. We found that research on technology acceptance with regard to SARs is still in the developmental stages, and further studies of assessment tools for SARs are required. It is also essential to consider the factors that influence the acceptance of SARs by older people to ensure that they meet the end goal requirements of the user.

Informing existing Technology Acceptance Models: A qualitative Study with older Persons and Caregivers

“…As social in uence can also be characterized as understanding the importance of adopting the technology by the targeted user (Rajak & Shaw, 2021), living alone may be a factor that positively in uences that understanding. Regarding the issue of feeling stigmatized by others when using technologies, especially robots, has been found by other researchers, who used also proposed to add stigmatization under social aspects in uencing acceptance (He et al, 2022). We also saw that acceptance of monitoring technology increases for caregivers when the care recipient's cognitive capabilities decline.…”

Application and Challenges of the Technology Acceptance Model in Elderly Healthcare: Insights from ChatGPT

“…TAM has been suggested to be equally relevant in investigating the acceptance of technologies fostering social connectedness among the elderly, such as video calling applications or social networking platforms [2,24,33,[57][58][59]. In the realm of health education, TAM has been found to aid in evaluating the adoption of online platforms providing health information tailored for the elderly population [1,10,[60][61][62]84].…”

Do Socially Assistive Robots Help in Caring for Elderly Patients with Frailty or Mild Cognitive Impairment?

“…Acceptance of SARs by Older Adults: Qualitative and Quantitative Reviews An increasing number of studies have focused on technology acceptance of SARs (Flanorder et al, 2012& Broadbent et al, 2010 because it has been widely agreed that the significance of SARs can only be realised if people accept, embrace, and use this technology (He at al, 2022). A systematic review involving 23 articles of quantitative evidence of older adults' experience with and perceptions of the use of socially assistive robots in aged care by Vandemeulebroucke et al looked at six themes which included, intention to use SARs, general attitude toward SARs, feelings about SARs, perceived usefulness and ease of use of SARs, tasks of SARs and their appearances.…”