IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v70y2022ics0160791x22001348.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Liaison, safeguard, and well-being: Analyzing the role of social robots during the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Aymerich-Franch, Laura
  • Ferrer, Iliana

Abstract

We examine the implementation of social robots in real-world settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we analyze the areas in which social robots are being adopted, the roles and tasks being fulfilled, and the robot models being implemented. For this, we traced back and analyzed 240 deployment cases with 86 different social robots worldwide that have been adopted since the coronavirus outbreak. We found that social robot adoption during this period was strongly related to the use of this technology for crisis management. The social robots’ capacity to perform the roles of liaison to minimize direct contact among humans, safeguard to ensure contagion risk-free environments, and well-being coach to protect mental and physical health, is key to explaining adoption within this context. The results of the study offer a complete overview of social robots’ utilization in real life settings during the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Aymerich-Franch, Laura & Ferrer, Iliana, 2022. "Liaison, safeguard, and well-being: Analyzing the role of social robots during the COVID-19 pandemic," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:70:y:2022:i:c:s0160791x22001348
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101993
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X22001348
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101993?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Boada, Júlia Pareto & Maestre, Begoña Román & Genís, Carme Torras, 2021. "The ethical issues of social assistive robotics: A critical literature review," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Reis, João & Melão, Nuno & Salvadorinho, Juliana & Soares, Bárbara & Rosete, Ana, 2020. "Service robots in the hospitality industry: The case of Henn-na hotel, Japan," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    3. Bayne, Karen M. & Parker, Richard J., 2012. "The introduction of robotics for New Zealand forestry operations: Forest sector employee perceptions and implications," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 138-148.
    4. Brondi, Sonia & Pivetti, Monica & Di Battista, Silvia & Sarrica, Mauro, 2021. "What do we expect from robots? Social representations, attitudes and evaluations of robots in daily life," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    5. Wilk-Jakubowski, Grzegorz & Harabin, Radoslaw & Ivanov, Stanislav, 2022. "Robotics in crisis management: A review," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Park, Sunhee & Kim, Beomsoo, 2022. "The impact of everyday AI-based smart speaker use on the well-being of older adults living alone," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Fosso Wamba, Samuel & Queiroz, Maciel M. & Hamzi, Lotfi, 2023. "A bibliometric and multi-disciplinary quasi-systematic analysis of social robots: Past, future, and insights of human-robot interaction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    3. Leonardo Bonilla-Mejía & Luz A. Florez & Didier Hermida & Francisco Lasso & Leonardo Fabio Morales & Juan Jose Ospina & José Pulido, 2023. "Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Fast-Tracking Automation in Developing Countries? Evidence from Colombia," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(4), pages 593-616.
    4. Dang, Ngoc Bich & Bertrandias, Laurent, 2023. "Social robots as healing aids: How and why powerlessness influences the intention to adopt social robots," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    5. Schönmann, Manuela & Bodenschatz, Anja & Uhl, Matthias & Walkowitz, Gari, 2024. "Contagious humans: A pandemic's positive effect on attitudes towards care robots," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fosch-Villaronga, Eduard & Calleja, Carlos José & Drukarch, Hadassah & Torricelli, Diego, 2023. "How can ISO 13482:2014 account for the ethical and social considerations of robotic exoskeletons?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. Wilk-Jakubowski, Grzegorz & Harabin, Radoslaw & Ivanov, Stanislav, 2022. "Robotics in crisis management: A review," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Xing, Xinyu & Song, Mengmeng & Duan, Yucong & Mou, Jian, 2022. "Effects of different service failure types and recovery strategies on the consumer response mechanism of chatbots," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    4. Liu, Yun & Wang, Xingyuan & Wang, Shuyang, 2022. "Research on service robot adoption under different service scenarios," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Subhodeep Mukherjee & Manish Mohan Baral & Chittipaka Venkataiah & Surya Kant Pal & Ramji Nagariya, 2021. "Service robots are an option for contactless services due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the hotels," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 48(4), pages 445-460, December.
    6. Zhong, Lina & Verma, Rohit & Wei, Wenqi & Morrsion, Alastair M. & Yang, Liyu, 2022. "Multi-stakeholder perspectives on the impacts of service robots in urban hotel rooms," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    7. Ding, Bin & Li, Yameng & Miah, Shah & Liu, Wei, 2024. "Customer acceptance of frontline social robots—Human-robot interaction as boundary condition," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    8. Yao, Qi & Hu, Chao & Zhou, Wenkai, 2024. "The impact of customer privacy concerns on service robot adoption intentions: A credence/experience service typology perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    9. Brondi, Sonia & Pivetti, Monica & Di Battista, Silvia & Sarrica, Mauro, 2021. "What do we expect from robots? Social representations, attitudes and evaluations of robots in daily life," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    10. Dario Krpan & Jonathan E. Booth & Andreea Damien, 2023. "The positive–negative–competence (PNC) model of psychological responses to representations of robots," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(11), pages 1933-1954, November.
    11. Fink, Matthias & Maresch, Daniela & Gartner, Johannes, 2023. "Programmed to do good: The categorical imperative as a key to moral behavior of social robots," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    12. Galaz, Victor & Centeno, Miguel A. & Callahan, Peter W. & Causevic, Amar & Patterson, Thayer & Brass, Irina & Baum, Seth & Farber, Darryl & Fischer, Joern & Garcia, David & McPhearson, Timon & Jimenez, 2021. "Artificial intelligence, systemic risks, and sustainability," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    13. Uzir, Md Uzir Hossain & Al Halbusi, Hussam & Lim, Rodney & Jerin, Ishraq & Abdul Hamid, Abu Bakar & Ramayah, Thurasamy & Haque, Ahasanul, 2021. "Applied Artificial Intelligence and user satisfaction: Smartwatch usage for healthcare in Bangladesh during COVID-19," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    14. AboJabel, Hanan & Ayalon, Liat, 2023. "Attitudes of Israelis toward family caregivers assisted by a robot in the delivery of care to older people: The roles of collectivism and individualism," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    15. Li, Yaya & Zhang, Yuru & Pan, An & Han, Minchun & Veglianti, Eleonora, 2022. "Carbon emission reduction effects of industrial robot applications: Heterogeneity characteristics and influencing mechanisms," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    16. Stanislav Ivanov & Craig Webster & Faruk Seyitoğlu, 2023. "Humans and/or robots? Tourists’ preferences towards the humans–robots mix in the service delivery system," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 17(1), pages 195-231, March.
    17. Söderlund, Magnus, 2023. "Service robot verbalization in service processes with moral implications and its impact on satisfaction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    18. Fosso Wamba, Samuel & Queiroz, Maciel M. & Hamzi, Lotfi, 2023. "A bibliometric and multi-disciplinary quasi-systematic analysis of social robots: Past, future, and insights of human-robot interaction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    19. Schönmann, Manuela & Bodenschatz, Anja & Uhl, Matthias & Walkowitz, Gari, 2024. "Contagious humans: A pandemic's positive effect on attitudes towards care robots," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    20. Turja, Tuuli & Särkikoski, Tuomo & Koistinen, Pertti & Melin, Harri, 2022. "Basic human needs and robotization: How to make deployment of robots worthwhile for everyone?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:70:y:2022:i:c:s0160791x22001348. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.