Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
IdeclarethattheattachedworkisentirelymyworkandthatIhavegivendue
acknowledgementasrequiredbytheSchoolofBusiness.
Name:
StudentNumber:
RichardStone
95752978
Signed:
______________________________
Date:
6thofJuly2014
Acknowledgements
Iwouldliketoacknowledgeandthankmysupervisor,ProfessorRajivKhoslaforhissupport
andhelpthroughoutmyhonoursstudies.Hisguidancehasmadethisworkpossible.
Iwouldalsoliketoacknowledgeandthankmycosupervisor,DrMeiTaiChuwhose
encouragementandorganisationhaveenabledmetocompletetheworkontimeandDr
PetrusUsmanijforallofhishelpwiththestatisticalanalysis.
Finally,Iwouldliketothankalloftheotherpeoplewhohavelentmetheirsupportand
helpedmewiththisproject,bothwithliteralassistanceandpersonalsupport.Withoutyour
helptheprojectwouldnothavebeencompleted.
Thankyou.
Abstract
Thereisalotofresearchworkbeingdonewithassistivesocialrobotsinhealthcareand
educationaroundtheworld.Insomecountries,therearealreadyassistivesocialrobots
availableinthemarket,withservicepackagesprimarilydesignedforelderly,unwellor
disabledpeople,orforchildren.Manystudieshaveshownthatthereisthepotentialfor
assistivesocialrobotstoenablepeopletoremainlivingindependentlyforlongerthanthey
wouldotherwisebeableto,andwithageingpopulationsallaroundtheworld,therising
costofhealthcareisamajorissueforpeopleandgovernments.Thecostofeducationis
anotherissueforpeopleandgovernments,andsothisisanotherpotentialmarketareain
Australia.Inordertocontributetothesearchforamarketdemandmodelforassistive
socialrobotsinAustralia,thisstudyconsistsofaquestionnaire,primarilytargetingteachers
andstudents,seekinginformationregardingtheirperceptionsoftheusefulnessofassistive
socialrobotsinhealthcareandeducationalapplications.Theresponsestothissurveywere
thenanalysedtodeterminewhetherthereisthepotentialforsignificantmarketdemandfor
assistivesocialrobotsinAustralia.
Morespecifically,usingamodelforemotionalwellbeing,thestudyexaminedseveralofthe
factorsofemotionalwellbeingasanindicatorofqualityoflifebenefittoexamine
perceptionsofqualityoflifebenefitsfromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
TableofContents
Declaration..............................................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................3
Abstract...................................................................................................................................................4
1.
Introduction....................................................................................................................................7
LiteratureReviewandConstructDevelopment.............................................................................8
2.1
Introduction............................................................................................................................8
2.2
DefiningAssistiveSocialRobots..............................................................................................8
2.2.1
Robots.............................................................................................................................8
2.2.2
IndustrialRobots.............................................................................................................9
2.2.3
ServiceRobots.................................................................................................................9
2.2.4
AssistiveRobots..............................................................................................................9
2.2.5
SociallyInteractiveRobots............................................................................................11
2.2.6
AssistiveSocialRobots..................................................................................................14
2.3
DefiningMarketSegments...................................................................................................15
2.4
DefiningMarketDemand......................................................................................................16
2.5
EconomicOpportunities.......................................................................................................17
2.6
DefiningServicePackages.....................................................................................................17
2.7
TheElderlyandTechnologyUptake.....................................................................................18
2.8
AdoptionBehaviour..............................................................................................................19
2.8.1
2.9
PerceivedBenefitsofRobots................................................................................................20
2.10
SecurityPerceptions.............................................................................................................21
2.11
GapintheMarket.................................................................................................................22
2.12
Servicesrequiredfordifferentsegments.............................................................................22
2.13
Screenbasedtechnology......................................................................................................23
2.13.1
3.
NaturalInterface...........................................................................................................19
Limitationsonimpact...................................................................................................23
2.14
ActualBenefitsofRobots......................................................................................................24
2.15
MinimalTrainingRequired....................................................................................................25
2.16
EthicalIssues.........................................................................................................................25
2.17
QualityofLife........................................................................................................................27
2.18
QualityofLifeandMarketDemand......................................................................................27
2.19
AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofonlinesurveys................................................................28
2.20
Nonresponsebias..................................................................................................................29
HypothesisDevelopment..............................................................................................................30
3.1
SensoryEnrichment..............................................................................................................30
Hypothesis1..................................................................................................................................30
3.2
HealthandWellbeing............................................................................................................30
Hypothesis2..................................................................................................................................31
3.3
SocialConnectivity................................................................................................................31
Hypothesis3..................................................................................................................................31
3.4
Productivity...........................................................................................................................31
Hypothesis4..................................................................................................................................31
3.5
QualityofLife........................................................................................................................32
Hypothesis5..................................................................................................................................32
3.6
4.
ListofHypotheses.................................................................................................................32
ResearchMethod..........................................................................................................................34
4.1
DataCollectionProcedure....................................................................................................34
4.2
Sample...................................................................................................................................35
4.3
ResponseRate.......................................................................................................................35
4.4
InstrumentMeasures............................................................................................................36
5.Results...............................................................................................................................................40
5.1UnivariateAnalysis......................................................................................................................40
5.2BivariateAnalysis........................................................................................................................42
5.3MultivariateAnalysis...................................................................................................................43
5.4ReliabilityTesting........................................................................................................................44
6.DiscussionofResults.........................................................................................................................45
7.Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................47
8.LimitationsandFutureDirections.....................................................................................................49
References............................................................................................................................................51
AppendixA
LettertoParticipants....................................................................................................59
AppendixB TheSurveyInstrument..................................................................................................60
AppendixC
StatisticalResults..........................................................................................................63
UnivariateAnalysis............................................................................................................................63
BivariateAnalysis..............................................................................................................................63
MultivariateAnalysis.........................................................................................................................64
ReliabilityTesting..............................................................................................................................68
ListofTables.........................................................................................................................................71
ListofFigures........................................................................................................................................71
1. Introduction
Robotshavebeendevelopingincrediblyquicklyoverthelastfiftyyears,movingfromthe
timewhentheywereonlylarge,expensiveindustrialmachinesintotimeswheretheycan
besmall,affordableandpracticalforuseinindividualpeopleshomes.
Therearetwoprimarycategoriesofrobotsforuseinthehome,thosethatofferphysical
assistanceandareofgreatestusetothosesufferingfromdisabilityorrecoveringfrom
medicalproceduresandthosedesignedtoassistsocially,allowingpeoplewitheasy,
intuitiveaccesstocomputertechnologiesinaformthattheyarecomfortablewithand
whichrequiredlittletrainingtoutilise.
Asthespeedsandcostsofelectroniccomponentsanddatatransferencehavebeen
increasingrecently,sohavethepotentialapplicationsforassistivesocialrobotsindomestic
applications.Aswellasprovidingservicesinthepreventativeandholisticmedicineareas,
andrespiteforcarers,therearepotentialapplicationsineducationthatarealsonow
financiallyviable.
Giventhatthetechnologieshavebecomesufficientlyfast,capableandcheap,itisaperfect
timetostarttomodelthemarketdemandforsuchdevicesinAustralia,inorderto
approachmanufacturersandencouragethemtoreleaseproductsintotheAustralian
market.
2 LiteratureReviewandConstructDevelopment
2.1 Introduction
Thischapterwillexaminetheliteratureexistingaroundrobots,assistivesocialrobots,
marketsegmentsanddemand,servicepackagesandtechnologyuptakeamongtheelderly.
Itwillalsolookatsomeofthebenefitsandadvantagesofrobotsandexamineamodelfor
emotionalwellbeingasakeyelementofqualityoflife.Itwillalsolookatsomeofthe
potentialissuesrelatedtoastudyutilisingaconveniencesample.
Aninvestigationintomarketdemandforassistivesocialrobotsmustfirstdefineseveral
concepts.SociallyAssistiveRoboticsisafieldthatliesattheintersectionofassistiverobotics
andSociallyInteractiveRobotics(FeilSeiferandMatari2005).
2.2 DefiningAssistiveSocialRobots
2.2.1 Robots
Arobotisprogrammablesystem,whichmaybeeitherautonomousorsemiautonomous,
thatinteractswithpeopleortheirenvironmentphysically,intherealworldandiscapable
ofperformingavarietyoftasksthroughpreprogrammedmotions(Mataric2007).Itcan
alsobedefinedasanactuatedmechanismprogrammableintwoormoreaxeswitha
degreeofautonomy,movingwithinitsenvironment,toperformintendedtasks.Autonomy
inthiscontextmeanstheabilitytoperformintendedtasksbasedoncurrentstateand
sensing,withouthumanintervention(ISO2012).
2.2.2 IndustrialRobots
Industrialrobotsareacategorythatincludesmanipulators,capableofmovementinthree
ormoreaxes,andemployedinarangeoflabourintensiveindustries,withthelargest
numbersofinstalledunitsinchemical,electronicsandautomotivemanufacturing(ISO
1994).
2.2.3 ServiceRobots
Aservicerobotsisarobotthatperformsusefultasksforhumansorequipmentexcluding
industrialautomationapplications(ISO2012).Thisdefinitioncanincluderobotsthatcould
alsobeclassifiedasindustrialrobotsinadifferentoperationalcontext,forexamplean
articulatedrobotinaproductionlinewouldbedefinedasanindustrialrobot,whileasimilar
deviceusedtoservefoodwouldbeclassifiedasaservicerobot(ISO2012).
Servicerobotsarefurtherbrokendownintopersonalservicerobotsandprofessional
servicerobots,generallyonthebasisofthenatureoftheapplicationoftherobot.
Examplesofpersonalservicerobotsareautomatedwheelchairsandpetexercisingrobots.
Examplesofprofessionalservicerobotsarefirefightingrobotsorsurgeryrobotsinhospitals.
2.2.4 AssistiveRobots
AssistiveRoboticsisafieldthathasbeenaroundforsometime,andisgenerallyassociated
withroboticdevicesthatphysicallyassistpeoplewithdisabilities(FeilSeiferandMatari
2005).Theseroboticdevicesincluderehabilitationdevicessuchasthemirrorimagemotion
enabler(MIME),aroboticassistedtherapydeviceabletomoveapersonsarmsinorderto
helpthemtoregaintheabilitytomovetheirarmsafterastroke(Burgaretal.2000).
PAMM,thePersonalAidforMobilityandMonitoring,adevicedevelopedtoprovide
physicalsupportandguidanceaswellastomonitorapersonsbasicvitalsignsalsofallsinto
thiscategory(Dubowskyetal.2000).TheCambridgeprojectinvestigatedtheuseofa
roboticworkstationintheeducationofseverelyphysicallydisabledchildren,anotherAR
device(Harwinetal.1988).Roboticdevicessuchasthesehavebeenfoundtobeeffective
inhelpingstrokesufferersrecover(Kwakkeletal.2008).
Assistiveroboticsalsoencompassesrobotsdesignedtoimproveanindividualsmobility
(FeilSeiferandMatari2005).Robotshavebeenusedinmultiplewaystoaugment
mobility,withvoicecontrolledpoweredwheelchairsenhancedwithobstacledetecting
sensorsandobstacleavoidingfeaturesbeingoneofthemoreobviousones(Simpsonand
Levine2002).Anotherexampleofroboticmobilityaideswouldberoboticcaneswhich
utiliseultrasonicsensorstodetectobstacleswithinabout1.5metresofthecaneandlead
theiroperatorsaroundthem,allowingvisuallyimpairedpeopletomoveaboutatarapid
walkingpace(BorensteinandUlrich1997).Roboticwalkersfortheelderlyarealsoassistive
robots,insomecasesbasedonastandardfourwheeledwalkerwithaddedmotors,sensors
andsafetydevicessuchasJohnnie(KuanTingetal.2010).Johnnieisaconventionalwalker
withtwomotors,anemergencystopbutton,forcesensorsinthehandlestocontrol
direction,sonarsensorsandalaserrangefindertodetectobstaclesandhandlelocalization
andmapping,andanotherlasersensortotracktheusersfootsteps(KuanTingetal.2010).
Manipulatorarmsforthephysicallydisabledarteanotherformofassistiverobots,with
systemslikeMATSbeingcapableofmovingaboutthehouseandprovidingsophisticated
physicalassistanceforthingslikemanipulatingplatesorcups,orforthebrushingofteeth
(Gimenezetal.2003).MATSisalsocapableofclimbingobstaclesorfurnituretobebetter
abletoperformitsassistiveduties(Gimenezetal.2003).TheCareObotwasdevelopedin
thiscategoryaswell,amobileservicerobotcapableoftaskssuchasfetchandcarry,aswell
asotherassistivetasksandalsofeaturescommunicationalandsocialfeatures,suchasvideo
telephoneandemergencycalls(Grafetal.2002).
Ithasalsobeendiscussedthatthereisaneedforintelligenceinrehabilitationrobots,in
orderthattheynotonlyreducethephysicalrequirementsplaceduponaperson,butsothat
theycanalsoalleviatethementalburdenofoperatingnonintelligentroboticsystems
(Kawamuraetal.1995).
2.2.5 SociallyInteractiveRobots
Sociallyinteractiveroboticsisafieldthathasbeendevelopingsincethe1940swhenWilliam
GreyWatercreatedrobotictortoisescapableofinteractingthroughheadlightsandthe
abilitytorecogniselightandappearedtosocialiseevenwithoutanydirectcommunication
ormutualrecognition(Holland1997).Thefieldmovedontostigmergyinthe1990s(Fong
etal.2003).Stigmergyisindirectcommunicationbetweenindividualsviamodifications
madetothesharedenvironmentwhereswarmorcollectiveroboticbehaviourwas
experimentedwithinimitationofsocialinsectcolonieswhichareabletoproducecomplex
patternsofbehaviourandphysicalstructuresdespiteindividualsappearingtoworkalone
(Fongetal.2003).Similartostigmergyaretheresearchareasofmultirobotsystemsand
distributedroboticsystems(Mataric1995).Communication,interferenceandaggressive
competitionaresomeofthecommunicationmethodsemployedintheseareas,allwitha
goalofutilisingmultiplerobotstomaximisetaskperformancethroughcollectiveaction
(Fongetal.2003).Thesetypesofinsectbasedsocialbehaviourhavebeenpopularamongst
researchesduetotheirenablingrelativelysimpleandthereforecosteffectiverobotsto
performcomplextasks,buttheydonotprovideanidealmethodforinteractingwithpeople,
ashumansocietyplacesgreatvalueontheindividual,andassuchpeopleneedtobeableto
formrelationshipswiththepeopleorrobotstheyinteractwith(Fongetal.2003).
ThisproblemhasledtothefollowingdefinitionofsocialrobotssuggestedbyDautenhahm
andBillard(1999,p.366):
Socialrobotsareembodiedagentsthatarepartofaheterogeneousgroup:asociety
ofrobotsorhumans.Theyareabletorecognizeeachotherandengageinsocial
interactions,theypossesshistories(perceiveandinterprettheworldintermsof
theirownexperience),andtheyexplicitlycommunicatewithandlearnfromeach
other.
Thedevelopmentofsocialrobotsclearlyneedsdifferenttechniquestothecollective
techniquesdiscussedearlier.Specifictechniquesincludenaturallanguageandgesture
communication,sociallearningandimitation,emotionandpersonrecognitionareall
important(DautenhahnandBillard1999).Theneedforutilisingthesetechniquesandthe
widerangeofsocialbehavioursexhibitedinindividualisedsociety,socialrobotscanbe
dividedintofourdifferentclasses.Theseclassesaredefinedintermsofhowwelltherobot
cansupportthesocialmodelattributedtoit,andhowcomplexitsinteractionscenarioscan
be(Breazeal2003).
Sociallyevocativerobotsevokenurturingemotionsorsocialresponsivenessinpeople,but
throughpeoplebeinginvolvedintheircreationorresponsibleforthemasopposedto
becauseofanyparticularactivityorbehaviouroftherobot(Breazeal2003).Socialinterface
robotsusehumanlikesocialcuesandcommunicationstofacilitateinteractionswithpeople
(Breazeal2003).Theserobotsareused,forexample,asroboticmuseumtourguides,oras
anavatartofacilitatelongdistancecommunication,andtendtoofferonlyshallowor
reflexive(Breazeal2003).Sociallyreceptiverobotsarethosethatlearnandimprove
themselvesfrominteractingwithpeople,althoughtheythemselvesaresociallypassive
(Breazeal2003).Sociallyreceptiverobotsmaybeabletoacquiremotorskillsfromtheir
interactionswithhumans(AtkesonandSchaal1997).Otherapplicationsincludeorganising
therobotsmotorsysteminordertoperformnewgesturesbasedoninteractions,andthis
typeofrobotisgenerallyveryperceptivewithregardtosocialcuesfrom(Breazeal2003).
Sociablerobotsarethehighestorderofsocialrobots,sociallyparticipativecreatures
whichhavetheirowninternalgoalsandmotivations(Breazeal2003).Theserobotspro
activelyengagepeoplesociallynotonlyforthebenefitoftheperson,butalsoforthe
benefitoftherobotthroughthingslikeimprovingitsperformanceortolearnfromthe
person(Breazeal2002).
Otherclassesthatcanbeaddedtothelistofdifferenttypesofsocialrobotsincludesocially
situatedrobots,sociallyembeddedrobotsandsociallyintelligentrobots(Fongetal.2003).
Sociallysituatedrobotsperceiveandreacttothesocial,environmenttheyaresurrounded
by(Dautenhahmetal.2002).Theymustbeabletodistinguishbetweenvariousobjectsin
theenvironmentaswellasothersocialagents(Fongetal.2003).Sociallyembeddedrobots
interactwithotherobjectsandpeoplewithinthesocialenvironmentthattheyaresituated
in,arestructurallycoupledwiththissocialenvironmentinthattheirsensoractivityisbased
onthesocialenvironment,andtheyareattheveryleastpartiallyawareofhuman
interactionstructures,suchastakingitinturns(Dautenhahmetal.2002).Socially
intelligentrobotsusedeepmodelsofhumancognitionandsocialcompetencetoshow
aspectsofhumanstylesocialintelligence(Dautenhahm1995).
Sociallyinteractiverobotsareadescriptionofrobotsthatisapartfromtheprevious
classifications.Itisusedtorefertorobotsthatforwhichsocialinteractionplaysacrucial
role(Fongetal.2003).Theyarenotapartfromthepreviousclasses,butratheritisaterm
usedtodistinguishtheserobotsfrommoretraditionalandfamiliarrobots,suchasrobotic
telephonesystemsandincludesassistivesocialrobots(Fongetal.2003).
2.2.6 AssistiveSocialRobots
Theassistivesocialrobotsthatarethefocusofthisthesisfallthesociallyinteractive
category,astheyexpressorperceiveemotions,communicatewithhighleveldialogueand
maintainsocialrelationships.Theserobotsareusefulbecausethereisageneralassumption
thatpeoplepreferinteractingwithmachinesinthesamewaysthattheyinteractwithother
people(Fongetal.2003).
Assistivesocialrobots,therefore,areusefulinapplicationswherethemainpurposeofthe
robotistointeractsociallywithpeople(Fongetal.2003).Someapplicationsforassistive
socialrobotsincludeutilisingrobotstopersuadepeople;tochangebehaviour,attitudesor
feelingsinpeoplesuchasinautismtherapy(Fogg1999).Assistivesocialrobotscanalsobe
utilisedasavatars,functioningasaphysicalrepresentativeofafriend,relativeorhealth
careorsupportprofessional(Fongetal.2003).
2.3 DefiningMarketSegments
Marketsegmentationisaveryusefulconceptinmarketing,andthegoalofsegmentationis
tosplittheconsumermarketupintogroupswithsignificantlydifferentpurchasing
behaviour(KamakuraandRussell1989).Ithasalsobeendefinedasgroupingpotential
customersintosetsthatarehomogeneousinresponsetosomeelementsofthemarketing
mix(DolniarandLeisch2014).Asignificantproportionoftheliteraturerelatingtomarket
segmentationrelatestobrandswitchingbehaviour,andthisisnotconsideredcrucialtothis
study,althoughmarketsegmentsarecrucialtotheestablishmentofademandmodel,
especiallyforaproductascustomizableastheassistivesocialrobot.
Therearetwoprimarymethodsformarketsegmentation:commonsenseorapriori
segmentationanddatadrivenoraposteriorisegmentation(DolniarandLeisch2014).The
commonsensesegmentationapproachusesasinglecriterionsuchasageorgenderupon
whichtosplitthemarketintohomogeneousgroups(Dolniar2004).Thedatadriven
approachusesmorecomplexsetsofvariablesandtheiranalysistodeterminesegments
(Dolniar2004).Commonsensesegmentationissimpletodoandeasytounderstand,but
datadrivensegmentationmaywellperformbetter,asthesegmentationbasefordata
drivensegmentationcomesfromasetofvariablesthatcombinetoformthesegmentation
base,andthereforeareusually,whenproperlyadministered,moreaccuratealthoughfar
morecomplexinadministrationandinterpretation(DolniarandLeisch2014).Although
thereisthepotentialforgreateraccuracy,intheinterestofdeterminingamarketdemand
modelpriortoenteringtheassistivesocialrobotmarketinAustralia,thecommonsense
methodshouldsufficewithanynewsegmentationanalysis.
Therobotmarkethasalreadybeendividedintosegmentshowever,andsotheseneedtobe
lookedat.Firstly,therearetwobroadsegmentsoftheglobalroboticsmarket,industrial
robotsandservicerobots,withservicerobotsconsistingofbyfarthelargermarketshare,
althoughthemajorityofsalesinthisareaareofsimpleandlowcostroboticsystemssuchas
robotvacuumcleaners.Thissegmentcanbefurthersplitdemographically,astheageofthe
userissignificantinlookinggatthedemandforassistiveservicerobots,asdemandishigher
inolderpeople(CICCP2012).Evenallowingfortheincreasedcomplexityandcostof
assistivesocialrobots,thereisahugemarketsegment(CICCP2012).
2.4 DefiningMarketDemand
In2012,globalindustrialrobotsaleswereslightlylowerthanthepreviousyearat159,346
(IFR2013).Inthesameyear,professionalservicerobotsalesrose2%to16,067units(IFR
2013).Moreimportantlyforthepurposesofthisstudy,personalservicerobotsalesroseto
about3millionunits,anincreaseof20%fromthepreviousyear,withthevalueofthese
devicessalesincreasingtoUS$1.2billion(IFR2013).Ofthese3millionunits,themajority
arevacuumcleaning,lawnmowingandentertainmentandleisurerobots(IFR2013).While
handicapassistancerobotsaleshavenotyettakenoff,researchindicatesthatthereisa
greatpotentialinthisfield,andprojectionsarethatglobalsalesinthisspacewillincreaseby
morethantentimesby2016,withasubstantialincreaseinthemarketoverthenext20
years(IFR2013).Theprojecteddemandgrowthinthissegmentcanreasonablybeapplied
toassistivesocialrobotsaswell,astheyserveademographicallysimilarmarketsegment.
2.5 EconomicOpportunities
Failinghealthisamajorcauseofstressfortheelderly,andstudieshaveshownthatasmany
as67%ofmenand83%ofwomenovertheageof84havedifficultywithatleastonedaily
livingactivity,activitiessuchasdressing,washingandeating(Roelandsetal.2002).Inthe
nearfuture,theageingpopulationinAustraliawillnecessitateamassiveandongoing
increaseintheamountofcareneeded(Roelandsetal.2002).Assistivesocialrobotscan
helptorelievetheburdenoncaregiversbycomplimentingtheircareandimprovingtheir
efficiency(Broadbentetal.2009).
Despitesomeperceivedstereotypes,olderadultstendtohavemorepositivethannegative
attitudestowardstechnology(Mitzneretal.2010).Ithasalsobeenfoundthatwhileolder
peoplemaynotprefertohavearobot,ifitwasabletohelpthemwithdailylivingactivities
andhelpthemtomaintaintheirindependenceforlonger,thentheywouldbehappyto
haveone(Flandorfer20102).Thissuggeststhatthereisnotonlyagrowingmarket,butalso
oneinwhichmanypeoplemaybelessreluctantthanmanythinktoentertheassistive
socialrobotmarket.
2.6 DefiningServicePackages
Servicepackagesareacrucialelementtotheconceptoftheassistivesocialrobot,asthe
robotwillbedeliveringaservicepackageanditisthecombinationofthedeliveryofthe
servicepackageandtheuniqueinterfacethatwillenabletoassistivesocialroottoaddvalue
toaconsumer.Servicepackages,inthecontextofassistivesocialrobots,canbedefinedas
thepackagethatisacandidateforinstallationintheappropriatetargetmachines
(Hellersteinetal.2006).Inotherwords,theassistivesocialrobotwillbedeliveringa
packageofsoftwarethatcanbecustomisedtosuitindividualconsumersandensurethat
theconsumersarenotpayingforsoftwareorservicesthatarenotneededbythem.
2.7 TheElderlyandTechnologyUptake
Oneofthemainpotentialmarketsegmentsforassistivesocialrobotsistheelderly.The
robotsareseenashavingthepotentialtoassisttheelderlyliveindependentlyforlongerby
assistingthemwitheverydaylifestyletasks.Oneofthemainconcernsthatthisbring
thoughisthelikelihoodoftheelderlyactuallyacceptingtherobotsintotheirlives.There
havebeenstudiesthathavefoundthattheelderlyresistbeingrelocatedandchangesin
theirworkenvironment(Kasteleretal.1968,PollmanandJohnson1974).Olderadultshave
beenfoundtobeamongthelasttoadoptnewproductsandservices(Robertson1971,Uhl
etal.1970).Ithasalsobeenfoundthatthereisanegativecorrelationbetweentheageofa
consumerandtheirattitudetowardstechnology,orinotherwords,thattheolderaperson,
themorenegativetheirviewtowardsnewtechnology(KerschnerandHart1984).Allofthis
seemstoindicatethatthismaybeamarketsegmentthatisveryreluctanttoconsider
somethinglikeanassistivesocialrobot,butmuchofthisresearchisold,andithasalsobeen
foundthatolderpeoplesacceptanceofnewtechnologicaldevicesincreaseswhenthey
discoverthatthedeviceshaveusefulfeaturesandareconvenienttouse(VanDijk2006).
Twoofthemainbarrierstoolderpeopleacceptingnewtechnologieshavealsobeenfound
tobelowselfefficacyandhighanxietyregardingtheuseofcomputers(Czajaetal.2006).
Thissuggeststhatassistivesocialrobotscouldbeaveryusefultoolinconvincingolder
peopletoadopttechnologyduetothenaturalinterface.Italsosuggeststhattiscrucialto
convinceolderpeoplethatthetechnologyprovidessignificantbenefits(Mitzneretal.2010).
2.8 AdoptionBehaviour
Consumerbehaviourregardingtheadoptionofnewtechnologyhastraditionallybeen
studiedusingthetechnologyacceptancemodel(TAM)(Davis1989).However,asthismodel
wasdesignedwiththebusinessuserinmind,morerecentstudieshavebeencompleted
focusingonthevoluntary,orhouseholdenduser.Regardingconsumersintentions
regardingadoptingnewtechnology,23themeswerefound(ChenandMort2007).Ofthese
23themes,however,convenience,usefulnessandneedswerefrequentlynamedasthe
threemostsignificantfactors(ChenandMort2007).Oncemore,thispointstoaneedto
educatepeopleaboutthepotentialusefulnessofservicebundlesforassistivesocialrobots,
aswellastheeaseofuseofthenaturalinterfaceofferedbytherobots.Crucially,these
informationcampaignsmustalsobetargetedtowardsgroupswithahighpropensityto
needthespecificservicepackagestheyarebeinginformedabout.
Anotherpotentialmarketsegmentforassistivesocialrobotsrelatestoeducation.
Importanttothemarketacceptingtheuseofsuchrobotsinearlychildhoodeducationisthe
attitudeofteachers,andithasbeenfoundthatpreschoolandelementaryschoolteachers
reactpositivelyanddisplayacceptanceofhumanoidsociallyassistiverobots(Fridinand
Belokopytov2014).
2.8.1 NaturalInterface
Inordertoensuresignificantuptakeofassistivesocialrobots,caremustbetakenregarding
theinterface.Asthedevicesaredesignedtobeofhelptopeoplewithavarietyofdifferent
ages,educationlevels,andfamiliaritywithcomputersandothertechnologies,itisessential
thattheyhaveanaturaluserinterfac4ethatrequiresminimaltrainingtouse.Towardsthis
end,thehumanrobotinterfacemustbeabilateralcommunicationchannelthatallows
conveying/acquisitionofinformationbetweenahumanandarobotforthepurposeof
performinggiventasksorservices(Khamisetal.2007,p.216).Thiscommunication
channelneedstohavetwointerfaces,aservicerequestinterfaceandaserviceresponse
interface,onewherebyapersoncanactivateaserviceontherobotandanotherbywhich
therobotcanletthehumanknowwhatishappeningregardingtheservices(Khamisetal.
2007).Inassistivesocialrobots,itiscrucialthatthischannelismultimodal,andinorderto
beasnaturalaspossiblethechannelneedstoincorporatespeechrecognitionandemotion
recognitionsoastobeasnaturalaspossiblefortheuser.
2.9 PerceivedBenefitsofRobots
Therearealargenumberofstudiesthathavebeencompletedandarebeingundertakenat
themomentintothebenefits,bothperceivedandreal,ofassistivesocialrobots.Someof
theapplicationdomainsare;careoftheelderly,careofindividualswithphysicalrecovery
needsandcareofindividualswithcognitivedisabilities(Tapusetal.2007).Incareforthe
elderly,perceivedbenefitsincludetheabilitytoassistindailyactivitiesandthusallowthe
elderlypersontoremainlivingindependentlyforlonger,andtheabilitytoreducestressand
depression(Tapusetal.2007).Motivationisrecognizedasthesinglemostsignificant
challengeinphysicalrehabilitation,andassuchtherecanbeagreatbenefitinthisarea
fromanassistivesocialrobot,evenifitisunabletophysicallyparticipateinthe
rehabilitationortraining(Tapusetal.2007).Giventheageingpopulation,thereisa
likelihoodofincreasedneedforphysicalrehabilitationforstrokevictims,andthusassistive
socialrobotscanprovidesignificantbenefithere.Inthecareofthementallyhandicapped,
manystudieshavefoundthatrobotscreatehighlevelsofmotivationandengagementin
childrenwithautism(WerryandDautenhahn1999,MichaudandClavet2001).Someother
areasthatappeartohavethepotentialforbenefitsfromassistivesocialrobotsaretelecare
andtelehealth,particularlyamongsttheelderlywherethenaturalinterfacemayencourage
higheruptake,invitalsignsmonitoringandinsafetyandsecuritymonitoring(Blackman
2013).
2.10 SecurityPerceptions
Whiletherearemanyperceivedbenefitstoassistivesocialrobots,therearealsosome
safety,securityandprivacyconcerns.Safetyisacriticalelementinthedevelopmentof
assistivesocialrobots,andhasbeencarefullyconsideredthroughoutthehistoryofrobotics,
withsystemsbeingdesignedinmilitaryrobotstoensurethatautonomousmilitaryrobots
donotbehaveunethically(Arkin2008).Thereisthepossibilitythatanyinternetconnected
computersystemwithinthehomemaycomeunderbeattackedbysomeoneremotely,and
someofthepotentialsecurityissuesare;robotvandalism,spyingonhomesorpeople
withinthem,psychologicalattacksandissuesineldercare(Denningetal.2009).
Robotvandalismmayconsistofseveralthings,butchiefamongstthemwouldbeusingthe
robottocausedamagetoproperty,possiblytherobotitself(Denningetal.2009).Whileit
mayseemthatasmall,relativelyweakassistivesocialrobotwouldbeunabletocausemuch
damage,itcouldbeusedtopushobjectsfromtablesordownstairs,whichwouldallowitto
causesignificantlymoredamagethanitsownpowerwouldallow,andcouldalsocreate
otherissuessuchasknockingsmallobjectsontothefloorandcreatingachokinghazardfor
smallchildren.Anysystemdesignedtoallowvideocallingalsohasthepotentialtoallow
otherpeopletolookintothehomeoftheuserofanassistivesocialrobot.Thiscould
enablesomeonetoobtainoffensivephotosorvideo,oritcouldbeusedbyacriminalto
examinealikelytargetbethatahome,anelderlypersonorpossibleachild.Ineldercare,
robotscouldbeusedasortocausetrippinghazards,andtheycouldbeusedtomakenoises
orspeakinwaystocauseconfusionforadementiasufferer(Denningetal.2009).
2.11 GapintheMarket
Atthisstage,inAustralia,whiletherearemanyassistivetechnologiesavailableforthe
elderly,forstudentsandforothermarketsegments,therearecurrentlynoassistivesocial
robotsonthemarket.Thisisclearlyagapinthemarketforassistivesocialrobots.
2.12 Servicesrequiredfordifferentsegments
Asmuchastherearemanydifferentmarketsegmentsforassistivesocialrobots,thereare
alsodifferentservicesrequiredforthem.Variousandmanypreviouslymentionedrequired
serviceshavebeenestablishedforelderly,disabledanddementiasufferers(Blackman2013,
BorensteinandUlrich1997,Broekensetal.2009,Flandorfer20102,Grafetal.2002,Harwin
etal.1988,Kawamuraetal.1995,KuanTingetal.2010,Kwakkeletal.2008,Simpsonand
Levine2002,WerryandDautenhahn1999).Therehavealsobeenseveralservices
mentionedintheeducationalsector(FridinandBelokopytov2014,Michaudetal.2007,
Murphy2000).Itisclearthattherearedifferentservicesrequiredforthedifferentmarket
segments,butalsothatthereissomeoverlapintheservicesrequired.Ontopofthis,as
servicebundlesarecustomizable,thereisnoreasonthatbundlesofservicescantbe
designedtoallowfordifferentpeoplesdifferent,potentiallycrosssegmentrequirements.
2.13 Screenbasedtechnology
Oneissuewithscreenbased,traditionalcomputertechnologyistherelianceinthe
technologyonconventionalinterpretationsofthesymbolsandtheirplacementinthe
graphicalinterface(Norman1999).Screenbasedtechnologiesalsosufferfromlimited
naturalinterfacing,andaninterfacethat,amongstthoseunfamiliar,requiresaleveltraining
tooperate(Norman1999).Usersmustlearnnottoclickunlesstheyhaveanappropriate
curserform,asperaculturalconstraintthatmustbelearned(Norman1999).Thisisavery
unnaturalformofinterface.
2.13.1 Limitationsonimpact
Screenbasedtechnologiesutilizegraphicaluserinterfaces(GUIs)toprovideuserswith
menusandicons,accessedthroughpointingdevicessuchasthemouse,withtheoutput
displayedonthescreeninoneormorewindows(CohenandOviatt1995).Theuseofa
screenforoutputlimitstheimpactthatthecomputercanhaveonaperson.
WeaknessesofGUIsincludelimitedmeansofidentifyingentities,meaningthatthereisa
needfortraininginasystemsuse(CohenandOviatt1995).GUIscanalsorequiretheuser
toremembercomplexmenustructuresinordertobeabletooperateallavailable
commands,particularlyincomplexsystemswithmanycommandsavailable,suchasin
assistivesocialrobots.GUIsalsorelyheavilyonthehandsandeyesoftheuserwhich
maybeaproblemamongstelderlypeople,peopleneedingphysicaltherapyorpeople
sufferingfromdementiawhomayfinditdifficulttophysicallymanipulatethetoolsrequired
ortoseethescreen(CohenandOviatt1995).GUIsdonotprovideanatural,universally
acceptableinterface,andrequireextensivetrainingforthosecompletelyunfamiliarwith
them.
Screenbasedtechnologiesalsolimittheabilityforpeopletoformemotionalattachments
totheirmachines,asthephysicalpresenceofanassistivesocialrobot,alongwiththemore
naturalinterfaceandcommunicationmethodsallowacloseremotionaltietothemachine
(Broekensetal.2009).
2.14 ActualBenefitsofRobots
Therehavebeenmanystudiesonthebenefitsofrobots,andinstudiesrelatedtothe
elderlytheyincludeincreasedactivityindementedpatients,decreasedstressand
loneliness,decreaseddepression,andimprovedmood(Broekensetal.2009).With
children,therehavebeenstrongresponsesfromchildrenwithautism,butgenerallyrobots
areabletocreatenoveltyinlearningsituationsandthusimproveengagementfromchildren
bothwithandwithoutautism(Michaudetal.2007).
2.15 MinimalTrainingRequired
Oneofthebenefitsofassistivesocialrobotsisthatwithcustomizedservicepackagesand
thenatural,multimodalinterface,thereisalmostnotrainingrequiredforuserstobeable
toutilisethesystem.Theassistivesocialrobotinterfaceinquestionincorporatesvoice,
emotion,gesturesandtouch.
2.16 EthicalIssues
Inexaminingtheethicalconcernsregardingrobotusageineldercare,therearetwo
fundamentalbasesthatshouldbeconsidered;humanrightsandsharedhumanvalues
(SharkeyandSharkey2012).TheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsincludesprovisions
thatpeoplehavearighttoastandardoflivingadequatetohealthandwellbeing,to
freedomfromtortureandinhumanordegradingtreatment,tofreedomfromdiscrimination
andtoprivateandfamilylife(SharkeyandSharkey2012).Iftherightsoftheelderlyareto
beupheld,thenitiscrucialthattherobotsareofbenefittotheelderlythemselves,andare
notsimplysomethingtoreducetheburdenoncarersandfamily(SharkeyandSharkey
2012).Aneasierwaytolookatthisissuemaybetoconsideritfromahumanvaluespoint
ofview.Therearetwelvehumanvaluesthatareessentialinthedesignofassistivesocial
robots;humanwelfare,ownershipandproperty,freedomfrombias,privacy,trust,
useability,environmentalsustainabilityandcalmness(Friedmanetal.2006).Clearlyhuman
welfareiscrucialfromthislistinregardtotheuseofassistivesocialrobotsinelderlycare,
anditiscrucialthatthewelfareofthosebeingcaredforisthefirstpriority,andnotthe
welfareofothers.
Anexampleofapotentialhazardincludestheuseofrobotsformenialtasksortoassistthe
elderlyintheirdailylivescouldmeanthattheelderlypersonisdeprivedanopportunityfor
meaningfulsocialcontact(SharkeyandSharkey2012).Studieshavefoundthatsocial
engagementreducestheriskofdementia,sointhisinstanceroboticassistancemayactually
beexposinganelderlypersontoanincreasedriskofdementia(Saczynskietal.2006).Social
contacthasalsobeenassociatedwithlowerstressandotherhealthbenefits,soitis
importanttoensurethatassistivesocialrobotservicepackagesfortheelderlyinclude
servicesdesignedtoencourageandassistsocialinteraction(Smith2003).
Therearealsoclearethicalconsiderationsregardinganykindofrobotthatcanmonitora
person.Firstly,therewouldbeareductioninhumancontactwithanelderlypersonbeing
monitoredbyarobot(SharkeyandSharkey2012).Robotsenablingavirtualvisittoa
relativemayresultinfeweractualvisits,andarobotthatmonitorspeoplecouldsavethe
needforaservicetocallandcheckontheperson.Bothoftheseexamplescanbealleviated
easilyenough,butneedtobeconsidered.Secondly,thereisthepotentialforsignificant
privacyviolations.Again,thiscanbedesignedaround,forexampleforbiddingtherobot
fromenteringthebathroom,orrequiringittonotifytheelderlypersonfirstandawait
permission.Therearealsoissuesrelatingtothekeepingofinformation,whereandhowitis
kept,aswellasforhowlong(SharkeyandSharkey2012).Finally,thereisaconcernthata
robotusedtomonitoranelderlypersonmayimpingeuponthatpersonsfreedomif,for
example,thepersonwasabouttodosomethingdangerous,wouldtherobotbe
programmedtopreventit,andifsohow
Similarly,inchildcare,arobotundertakingmenial,dirtyorunpleasanttaskscandeprivea
parentofanopportunitytointeractwiththechildandbond(SharkeyandSharkey2012)
2.17 QualityofLife
Oneofthekeyaspectsofmeasuringqualityoflifecomesfromemotionalwellbeing(Diener
etal.2003).Withperceivedqualityoflifeapotentiallycrucialelementofindividual
demandforassistivesocialrobots,emotionalwellbeingwillbeexaminedasasourceof
demand.Emotionalwellbeinghasfiveelements,resilienceandcoping,beingproductive
andmakingacontribution,socialconnections,basicneedsandcomfortandsensory
enrichment(DepartmentofHealth2011).Basedonthefollowingmodel,elementsof
sensoryenrichment,healthandwellbeing,socialconnectivityandproductivitycanbe
analysedfromthequestionnairetoestablishperceptionsofimprovedemotionalwellbeing
andthereforequalityoflife.
Figure2.1:FiveElementsofEmotionalWellbeing
2.18 QualityofLifeandMarketDemand
Qualityoflifemarketingisaconceptthathasbeenwrittenaboutsincethemidnineties
(SirgyandDongJin1996).QualityoflifemarketingisalsohighlyconsistentwithKotlers
(1986)widelyciteddefinitionofsocietalmarketing:
Thesocietalmarketingconceptholdsthattheorganizationstaskistodeterminethe
needs,wants,andinterestsoftargetmarketsandtodeliverthedesiredsatisfactions
moreeffectivelyandefficientlythancompetitorsinawaythatpreservesorenhances
theconsumersandthesocietyswellbeing(p.16).
Thequalityoflifemarketingconcept,whichfocusesonconsumerwellbeingthroughtheir
longtermsatisfactionbyemphasisingconsumerwellbeing(SirgyandDongJin1996).The
drivetowardsqualityoflifeimprovementsforconsumersinmarketingclearlyindicatesthat
thereisapotentialformarketdemandwherethereisaperceptionofimprovedqualityof
life.
2.19 AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofonlinesurveys
Giventhatinternetusagehasbeencontinuallygrowing,onlinesurveysarebecomingmore
andmorerelevant.InAustralia,householdinternetaccesswasat83%in20122013,and
ashighas96%inhouseholdswithchildrenunder15yearsofage(ABS2013).Thenumber
ofindividualinternetusersissimilar,at83%with97%of15to17yearoldsusers(ABS
2013).Thisprevalenceofinternetsuggeststhatonlinesurveysarelegitimate,andthey
alsooffertimeandcostsavingsasaformofdatacollection(Dillman2000).Online
surveyscanalsobeattractivetorespondents,astheycangenerallybecompletedata
convenienttimeandinaconvenientplace(Saxetal.2003).
Onthedownside,thereisthepossibilityofbiasinthatthereareproportionsofthe
populationthatdonothaveaccesstotheinternet.Therearealsoconcernsinonline
researchregardingsecurity,dataintegrityandconfidentiality(Saxetal.2003).
Responseratesareanotherissuewhenitcomestoonlinequestionnaires,astherecanbea
hugevarietyinresponserates,andthereareindicationsthatpeoplerespondbettertopen
andpapersurveys(Handwerketal.2000).Ontheotherhand,therehavealsobeen
studiesthathavesuggestedtheopposite,thatresponseratesarehigherforonlinesurveys
(Antonsetal.1997).
2.20 Nonresponsebias
Nonresponsebiasisbiasthatexistsintheresponsestoasurveywhenthosewhorespond
differinattitudeordemographicaspectstothosewhodidnotrespond(Saxetal.2003).
Thiskindofbiasiscommonamongstonlinesurveys,asresponseratescanbelow(Saxetal.
2003).Thereisalsoevidencethatresponserateshavebeendecliningoverrecentdecades
(Dey1997).Whilelowresponseratesmayleadtononresponsebias,thisisnotalwaysthe
caseandwhenrespondentcharacteristicsarerepresentativeofnonrespondents,thenlow
responserateswillnotcauseanybias(Krosnick1999,Dillman1991).
3. HypothesisDevelopment
Constructsthatwereidentifiedintheliteraturereviewsectionareplacedintoindividual
hypothesesinorderthattheycanbetested.Hypothesesaredevelopedonthebasisofthe
modelforemotionalwellbeingandthusqualityoflifeandthefactorsthatcontribute
towardsit.
3.1 SensoryEnrichment
Sensoryenrichmentisoneofthefiveelementsofemotionalwellbeing.Severalelementsof
assistivesocialrobotservicebundlesrelatetosensoryenrichment,andhypothesisoneis
basedonthis.
Hypothesis1
Thatpeopleexpecttoreceivepositivesensoryenrichmentfromtheuseofassistivesocial
robots.
3.2 HealthandWellbeing
Healthandwellbeingisoneofthefivefactorsofemotionalwellbeingandqualityoflife.
Withsuchacrucialelementofqualityoflifeitwasessentialtoexaminepeoples
expectationsregardingassistivesocialrobotsandtheirrelationshiptohealthandwellbeing.
Assuch,thequestionnairefeaturedseveralquestionsrelatingtothisandhypothesis2was
basedonperceptionsofhealthandwellbeingapplicationsofassistivesocialrobots.
Hypothesis2
Peopleperceivehealthandwellbeingbenefitsfromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
3.3 SocialConnectivity
Socialconnectivityisoneofthefiveelementsofemotionalwellbeing.Assuch,perceptions
ofsocialconnectivitybenefitfromassistivesocialrobotsisanotherkeymeasureofpotential
marketdemandforthedevices.
Hypothesis3
Peopleperceivethattheywillimprovetheirsocialconnectivitythroughtheuseofassistive
socialrobots.
3.4 Productivity
Productivityisoneofthefiveelementsofemotionalwellbeingandthereforequalityoflife.
Assuch,perceivedproductivityimprovementsareanindicatorformarketdemand,and
potentiallyakeyindicatorasproductivityimprovementsmaybeoneareawherethecostof
theassistivesocialrobotsmaybereadilyjustified.
Hypothesis4
Peoplebelievethattheywillbecomemoreproductivethroughtheuseofassistivesocial
robots.
3.5 QualityofLife
Asemotionalwellbeingisakeyindicatorforqualityoflife,thefactorsofemotional
wellbeingareakeyindicatorforperceivedqualityoflifeimprovementsthoughtheuseof
assistivesocialrobots,andassuchqualityoflifeisanindicatorthatisdrivenbythefour
elementsofemotionalwellbeingalreadyaddressedinsensoryenrichment,healthand
wellbeing,socialconnectivityandproductivity.
Hypothesis5
Thatpeopleperceivethattheuseofassistivesocialrobotswouldimprovetheirqualityof
life.
3.6 ListofHypotheses
Hypothesis1
Thatpeopleperceivepositivesensoryenrichmentfromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
Hypothesis2
Peopleperceivehealthandwellbeingbenefitsfromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
Hypothesis3
Peopleperceivethattheywillimprovetheirsocialconnectivitythroughtheuseofassistive
socialrobots.
Hypothesis4
Peoplebelievethattheywillbecomemoreproductivethroughtheuseofassistivesocial
robots.
Hypothesis5
Thatpeopleperceivethattheuseofassistivesocialrobotswouldimprovetheirqualityof
life.
4. ResearchMethod
4.1 DataCollectionProcedure
Datacollectionswasconductedintwophases;apresurveystudyphaseandanonline
survey.Onlyonequestionnairewasdevelopedfordatacollection,althoughthe
respondentswereofferedtheoptionofhavingthesurveypostedtothemwithastamped
returnenvelopeiftheypreferrednottocompletethesurveyonline.Therespondents
chosentobethekeyinformantsinthestudywereAustralianteachers.Sinceteachersare
potentiallybothparentsandrecommenderstoparentsregardingeducationalmatters,itis
reasonabletoassumethattheyhavehigherthanaverageinfluenceregardingthemarket
forassistivesocialrobotsintheeducationsector.
Inthepresurveyphase,theinstrumentwasdevelopedandthenateacherandaparent
wereselectedtodeterminethevalidityoftheinstrument.Duringthisphasetheinstrument
wasadministeredinthepresenceoftheauthorandfeedbackledtosomeminoralterations
tothesurvey,thosebeingtheadditionofsomequestions,theremovalofsomequestions
andslightalterationstoothers.Oncethesealterationsweremade,thequestionnairewas
madeliveonlineandreadyfordatacollection.Thepretestresponseswerenotincludedin
thefinaldata.
Intheonlinesurveyphase,severalAustralianschoolswerecontactedandaskedtoprovide
anemailtoalloftheirstaff.Theemailcontainedanintroductionletterandalinktothe
onlinesurvey.Theintroductionletterinvitedpeopletoparticipateandincludedsome
informationregardingthestudyandassistivesocialrobotsandtheirpotentialservice
packagesandprovidedanincentiveofadrawtowinoneofthree$100vouchersforColes
supermarkets(SeeAppendixA).
Respondentswereaskedtocompletetheonlinesurveyandemailtheiruniqueresponse
codetotheresearchersinordertobeinthedrawtowinavoucher.Thefirstsectionofthe
questionnaireincludedsomeinformationaboutassistivesocialrobotstoinformparticipants
whodidnotreadtheintroductionletterfully,aswellasanassuranceofconfidentialityand
instructionsonhowtoenterthedrawforthecompletionprize.
4.2 Sample
Theselectionofthesamplewasbasedonarandomselectionofschoolsselectedfromalist
generatedfromonlinedirectories.Fiveschoolswerecontactedandaskedtocontactallof
theirstaff.Theresponseratefromtheseschoolswaspoor,soanemailwassenttoLaTrobe
Universitystudentsinvitingtheirparticipation.
4.3 ResponseRate
Givenanuncertainexactnumberofrecipientsofthemailouttoschools,anestimateof100
staffperschool,basedonthelargestoftheschoolshavingastaffofapproximately150
suggestthatapproximately500peoplewerecontacted.Given52responses,thisindicates
anapproximately10percentresponserate.Thislevelofresponsehasbeenseeninother
studies,andwasexpected(Thong1999).Alloftheresponseswerekeptinthedataset.
Therewasalsoafurther796responsesaftertheLaTrobeUniversitystudentswereinvited
toparticipate.
4.4 InstrumentMeasures
ThesurveyinstrumentincludedLikertscaledquestions,andopenandclosedquestions.
Intenttouseresponsesweregaugedonayes/no/unsurescale.Theusefulnessofpotential
serviceswasratedona5pointLikertscalerangingfrom0=NotVeryusefulto4=
ExtremelyUseful).Questionsregardingtechnologyandassistivetechnologyknowledge
wereratedona5pointLikertscale(0=Verypoorto4=Verygood)andTechnologyuse
questionsona5pointLikertscale(0=AbsolutelyNotto4=AbsolutelyYes).Single/
Multipleselectionswereofferedfordecisionquestions,mobile/stationarywerepresented
astheoptionsregardingmodelofassistivesocialrobotpreference,anddemographic
questionsuseddropdownlistsforselectionofprofession,genderandagegroup.Acopyof
theentireinstrumentcanbeseeninAppendixB.
Resultsweregroupsaccordingtothefactorsofqualityoflifeasperthemodelofemotional
wellbeingandaddedtogethertoformnewfieldsasasummatedscaleindex.Fournew
fieldswerecreatedtorepresentthefourelementsofperceivedqualityoflifebeing
examined,usingasummatedscaleindex.SensoryEnrichment,HealthandWellbeing,Social
ConnectivityandProductivityarethegroups,andtheyweremadeupoftheanswersto
questionsaslaidoutintables4.14.5.
Element
SensoryEnrichment
Questions
2.1
Playingmusicanddancingortellingjokes
2.2
Playinggames,playinggameswithotherpeoplewith
robots
2.4
Readingbookstoyou
2.5
Maintainingadiarywithvideo,photoandaudio
recordings
2.6
Reminiscingprogramusingphotos,stories,songsand
videos
2.7
Readingthenewstoyou
Table4.1.SensoryEnrichmentanditsfactors
Element
HealthandWellbeing
Questions 2.14
Reminderstotakemedication
3.1
Obstaclereminders,warningofwaterontheflooretc.
3.2
Emergencyassistancecontacting000,reportingfalls
3.3
Trackingmovement
3.4
Onlineconsultationwithdoctors
3.5
Monitoringhealthparameterssuchasbloodpressure
3.6
Controllinghouseholdappliancesbyvoicelights,watertemp.
etc.
Table4.2.HealthandWellbeinganditsfactors
Element
SocialConnectivity
Questions 2.2
Playinggames,playinggameswithotherpeoplewith
robots
2.8
Sendingandreceivingemailsviavoicecontrol
2.9
Voiceoperatedphoneandvideocalling
2.12
VoiceControlledSocialmedia(Facebooketc.)
2.13
Remindersforappointments
2.15
Planninggroupactivities
Table4.3.SocialConnectivityanditsfactors
Element
Productivity
Questions 2.2
Playinggames,playinggameswithotherpeoplewith
robots
2.3
Playingquizzes
2.4
Readingbookstoyou
2.10
VoiceoperatedInternetaccess
2.11
Voicecontrolledonlineshopping
2.13
Remindersforappointments
Table4.4.Productivityanditsfactors
Thesevariableswerecomparedtoafifthcreatedvariable,qualityoflife,avariable
generatedbasedontheperceptionsoftherespondentsonalloftheelementsofquestions
oneandtwo.
Element
QualityofLife
Questions 2.1
Playingmusicanddancingortellingjokes
2.2
Playinggames,playinggameswithotherpeoplewithrobots
2.3
Playingquizzes
2.4
Readingbookstoyou
2.5
Maintainingadiarywithvideo,photoandaudiorecordings
2.6
Reminiscingprogramusingphotos,stories,songsandvideos
2.7
Readingthenewstoyou
2.8
Sendingandreceivingemailsviavoicecontrol
2.9
Voiceoperatedphoneandvideocalling
2.10
VoiceoperatedInternetaccess
2.11
Voicecontrolledonlineshopping
2.12
VoiceControlledSocialmedia(Facebooketc.)
2.13
Remindersforappointments
2.14
Reminderstotakemedication
2.15
Planninggroupactivities
3.1
Obstaclereminders,warningofwaterontheflooretc.
3.2
Emergencyassistancecontacting000,reportingfalls
3.3
Trackingmovement
3.4
Onlineconsultationwithdoctors
3.5
Monitoringhealthparameterssuchasbloodpressure
3.6
Controllinghouseholdappliancesbyvoicelights,watertemp.
etc.
Table4.5.QualityofLifeanditsfactors
5.Results
5.1UnivariateAnalysis
Forthepurposesofunivariateanalysisoftheresponses,qualityoflifewascategorisedinto
threegroups;low,moderateandhigh.Thesegroupsweredeterminedonthebasisofthe
meanofqualityoflife1standarddeviation.Thisfigurewasusedasitwouldplace
approximately68%ofresponsesinthemoderatecategory,assumingthatthedatais
normallydistributedandthereforeleaveapproximately15.9%ofcasesinthehighandlow
categoriesagainassumingnormaldistribution.Thisisbasedontheempiricalrule.
Thelevelofexpectedqualityoflifebygenderisshownintable5.1.Theresultsrevealthat
overall,15.2%ofrespondentsperceiveahighqualityoflifeimprovementfromtheuseof
assistivesocialrobots,with16.7%offemalerespondentsinthehighcategory,butonly
11.9%ofmalerespondents.
Qualityof
Female
Male
Total
Life
Frequency
Frequency
Percentage
Low
54
13.5%
44
22.8%
98
16.5%
280
69.8%
126
65.3%
406
68.4%
High
67
16.7%
23
11.9%
90
15.2%
Total
401
100.0%
193
100.0%
594
100.0%
Moderate
Table5.1.QualityofLife/Gender
Thelevelofexpectedqualityoflifebyagegroupisshownintable5.2.Therewerefive
respondentsfromagegroupsnotincludedinthisanalysis,asthenumberofrespondentsin
thesegroupswasconsideredinsignificanttoplayasignificantroleintheresults.
Table5.2showsthatoverall15.2%ofrespondentsperceiveahighlifestylebenefitfrom
assistivesocialrobots,withthoseaged1829at16.0%,thoseaged3039thelowestat8.6%,
thoseaged4049at19.6%andthoseaged5059at18.2%.
Qualityof
18
30
40
Life
29
Freq
Low
60
14.3% 21
22.6% 11
21.6% 5
22.7% 97
16.6%
Moderate
292
69.7% 64
68.8% 30
58.8% 13
59.1% 399
68.2%
High
67
16.0% 8
8.6% 10
19.6% 4
18.2% 89
15.2%
Total
419
100.0% 93
100.0% 22
100.0% 585
100.0%
39
%
Freq
50
49
%
Freq
100.0% 51
Table5.2.Expectedqualityoflifebyagegroup
Total
Freq
59
%
Freq
5.2BivariateAnalysis
Productivity
QualityofLife
.844**
.899**
.897**
.729**
.710**
.873**
.844**
.729**
.947**
.951**
.899**
.710**
.947**
.946**
QualityofLife .897**
.873**
.951**
.946**
Sensory
Sensory
Healthand
Social
Enrichment
Wellbeing
Connectivity
.660**
.660**
Enrichment
Healthand
Wellbeing
Social
Connectivity
Productivity
Table5.3.PearsonsCorrelationsbetweenQualityofLifeanditspredictorsSensory
Enrichment,HealthandWellbeing,SocialConnectivity,ProductivityandQualityofLife
Table5.3showsthePearsonscorrelationsbetweenallofthepredictorsofqualityoflife
andqualityoflife.Pearsonscorrelationsareusedbecauseitisbelievedthatthe
relationshipbetweenthefourfactorsandqualityoflifeislinear.Thetableshowsthatallof
thevariablesarehighlyintercorrelatedandthatthecorrelationsarestatisticallysignificant
(p<.01).Thecorrelationsintable5.3rangefrom+.660and+.951.Thestrongest
correlationsarebetweensocialconnectivityandqualityoflife(r=.951),SocialConnectivity
andproductivity(r=.947)andproductivityandqualityoflife(r=.946).Theremaining
dimensionsarealsostronglycorrelated,withtheweakestcorrelationbeingbetween
sensoryenrichmentandhealthandwellbeing(r=.66)andallofthecorrelationsare
statisticallysignificant.Thesecorrelationsshowthatthereisastrongrelationshipbetween
allofthefactors,butthattheweakestisbetweensensoryenrichmentandhealthand
wellbeing(r=.66),whilethestrongestisbetweensocialconnectivityandqualityoflife
(r=.951).
Thestrengthofthesecorrelationsindicatesthatthereisgroundsforfurtherstudy.
5.3MultivariateAnalysis
Regression performed on the sensory enrichment predictor indicates that it accounts for
80.5% of the changes in quality of life, and that it is statistically significant (p < .01). This
confirms hypothesis 1, thatpeopleperceivepositivesensoryenrichmentfromtheuseof
assistivesocialrobots.
Regression performed on the health and wellbeing predictor indicates that it accounts for
76.3% of the changes in quality of life, and that it is statistically significant (p < .01). This
confirms hypothesis 2, that peopleperceivehealthandwellbeingbenefitsfromtheuseof
assistivesocialrobots.
Regression performed on the sensory enrichment predictor indicates that it accounts for
90.4% of the changes in quality of life, and that it is statistically significant (p < .01). This
confirms hypothesis 3, that peopleperceivethattheywillimprovetheirsocialconnectivity
throughtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
Regression performed on the productivity predictor indicates that it accounts for 89.5% of the
changes in quality of life, and that it is statistically significant (p < .01). This confirms
hypothesis 4, that peoplebelievethattheywillbecomemoreproductivethroughtheuseof
assistivesocialrobots.
Regression utilising all of the predictors was used to establish a formula for predicting quality
of life, and the formula is:
Thepredictorsused(sensoryenrichment,healthandwellbeing,socialconnectivityand
productivity)explain99.5%ofthechangesinthedependentvariablequalityoflife,andall
aresignificant(p<.01).Thisconfirmshypothesis5,thatpeopleperceivethattheuseof
assistivesocialrobotswouldimprovetheirqualityoflife.
5.4ReliabilityTesting
Reliabilityanalysiswasundertakentotestwhetherthevariablesusedforsummatedscales
wereinternallyreliableandstable.Generallyspeaking,theclosertheCronbachsAlphaisto
1,thehigherthereliabilityofthevariable(Nunnally1967).
Thereliabilityofsensoryenrichment,healthandwellbeing,socialconnectivity,productivity
andqualityoflifeareshownintable5.4.
No Variable
VariableType
NoofItems
Name
1
Sensory
Cronbachs
Alpha
Independent
.888
Independent
.909
Independent
.892
Independent
.873
21
.958
Enrichment
2
Healthand
Wellbeing
Social
Connectivity
Productivity
QualityofLife Dependent
Table5.4.ReliabilityResults
Theresultsofthereliabilitytestingindicatethatsensoryenrichment,healthandwellbeing,
socialconnectivity,productivityandqualityoflifeareallstatisticallyreliableandconsistent.
Thereliabilityofproductivityisthelowestofanyofthevariables(=.873)butisstillwell
abovethevalueof.60whichisgenerallyconsideredacceptable.
6.DiscussionofResults
Perceivedqualityoflifeimprovementscanbeusedtoestablishamarketdemandfora
product.Utilisingthelinkbetweenemotionalwellbeingandqualityoflife,thefactorsof
emotionalwellbeinghavebeenusedtopredictperceivedqualityoflifechangesrelatingto
assistivesocialrobots.Thefactorsofsensoryenrichment,healthandwellbeing,social
connectivityandproductivitywereallfoundtobesignificantcontributorstoperceived
qualityoflifeandtherewasanoverallperceptionthatthesefactorswouldbeenhanced
throughtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
Sensoryenrichmentwassuggestedasbeingpossiblethroughtheuseofassistivesocial
robotsforplayingmusic,dancing,tellingjokes,playinggameswithotherpeopleandplaying
audiobooks.Readingthenews,reminiscingandmaintaininganaudio/videodiarywere
alsoofferedaspossibleapplications,andoveralltherespondentsindicatedthatthey
perceivedanoverallbenefitforsensoryenrichmentthroughtheuseoftherobots.
Perceivedhealthandwellbeingbenefitwascalculatedbasedonresponsesregarding
reminderstotakemedication,obstaclereminders,emergencyassistance,trackinga
personsmovement,enablingonlineconsultationswithdoctors,monitoringhealth
parametersandvoicecontrollingofhouseholdappliances.Therespondentsoverall
perceivedhealthandwellbeingadvantagesfromtheutilisationofthesuggestedprograms
onassistivesocialrobots.
Socialconnectivitywassuggestedasbeingpossiblethroughtheutilisationofprogramssuch
asvoiceoperatedemail,gameswithotherrobotowners,phoneandvideocalling,
remindersofappointments,assistanceplanninggroupactivitiesandvoiceoperatedsocial
media.Theoverallresponsesindicateapositiveperceivedbenefitonthiselementof
emotionalwellbeingandthereforequalityoflifeaswell.
Productivityapplicationssuchasonlineshopping,reminders,audiobooks,games,quizzes
andinternetaccessweresuggested,withastrongindicationofperceivedbenefitinthe
responses.
Withqualityoflifebeingcontributedtosignificantlybythesefactors,thereisaclear
indicationthattherespondentstothesurvey,overall,perceiveaqualityoflifeimprovement
fromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots.
7.Conclusion
Thisstudyaimedtocontributetowardsamarketdemandmodelforassistivesocialrobotsin
Australia.Perceivedqualityoflifeimprovementswereusedtoascertainthisthroughthe
evaluationofseveraloftheelementsofemotionalwellbeing,acrucialelementitselfof
qualityoflife.
Emotionalwellbeingiscomposedoffiveelements,resilienceandcoping,productivity,
sensoryenrichment,comfortandbasicneedsandsocialconnectivity.Sensoryenrichment,
productivityandsocialconnectivitywereallexaminedindividually,whileresilienceand
copingwasexaminedwithcomfortandbasicneedsashealthandwellbeing.Thiscreated
fourpredictorsforperceivedqualityoflife,allofwhichwerefoundtocontributestrongly
towardsit.
Sensoryenrichmentwascomposedofapplicationsforplayingmusic,dancingandtelling
jokes,playinggames,readingbooks,keepingadiary,areminiscingprogramandreadingthe
news.Overallrespondentsindicatedthattheyperceivedalikelysensoryenrichment
benefitfromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots,andthatthiscontributedsignificantlyto
perceptionsofqualityoflifeimprovements.
Healthandwellbeingwascomposedofapplicationsforreminderstotakemedication,
warningsandremindersofobstacles,emergencyassistance,movementtracking,online
medicalconsultations,healthparametermonitoring(suchasbloodpressure)andvoice
controlofhouseholdappliancessuchaslights.Overallrespondentsindicatedthatthey
perceivedalikelyhealthandwellbeingbenefitfromtheuseofassistivesocialrobots,and
thatthiscontributedsignificantlytoperceptionsofqualityoflifeimprovements.
Socialconnectivitywascomposedofapplicationsforplayinggamesbothaloneandwith
otherpeople,voicecontrolledemails,voicesoperatedphoneandvideocalling,voice
controlledsocialmedia,remindersforappointmentsandhelpinplanninggroupactivities.
Overallrespondentsindicatedthattheyperceivedalikelysocialconnectivitybenefitfrom
theuseofassistivesocialrobots,andthatthiscontributedsignificantlytoperceptionsof
qualityoflifeimprovements.
Productivitywascomposedofplayinggames,playingquizzes,readingbooks,voiceoperated
internetaccess,voicecontrolledonlineshoppingandremindersforappointments.Overall
respondentsindicatedthattheyperceivedalikelyproductivitybenefitfromtheuseof
assistivesocialrobots,andthatthiscontributedsignificantlytoperceptionsofqualityoflife
improvements.
Itwasfoundthatthesefourpredictorvariablescontributedsignificantlytoperceivedquality
oflife,withaformulaof:
Y = -0.458 + 0.698 X1 + 1.027 X2 +1.082 X3 + 0.533 X4
Where Y = Quality of life, X1 = Sensory enrichment, X2 = Health and wellbeing, X3 = Social
connectivity and X4 = Productivity.
8.LimitationsandFutureDirections
Whiletheseresultsindicateapotentiallystrongmarketdemand,therearesomelimitations
tothestudy.
Firstly,theuseofaconveniencesampleisnottheidealmethodofcollectingdata,anda
widerdistributionofthesurveyisdesirable,althoughthesamplesizewasquitesatisfactory.
Nonetheless,thereisthepossibilityofresponsebiasinthatthesmallproportionofpeople
contactedwhocompletedthesurveymayhavehadapriorinterestintheareaand
thereforemayhaverespondedmorefavourablythantheoverallpopulation.Further
studiescouldmorecarefullymanagethedistributionoftheirquestionnairesinorderto
ensurethatthereisnoresponsebias.
Secondly,thequestionnairecouldhavebeenmorestronglytailoredaroundemotional
wellbeing/qualityoflifeanditselements,andtheinclusionofmorequestionsregarding
resilienceandcopingcouldenhancethemodeldeveloped.Closerfocusondirectresponses
regardingqualityoflifeshouldalsobeconsideredforfurtherstudies.
Thirdly,adetailedanalysisoftheresponsescouldidentifyinvalidentries,andtheexclusion
ofentriesfoundtobenongenuinefromtheresultscouldenhancethevalueofthestudy.
Thiscouldhelptolimitoneofthelimitingfactorsofonlinestudies,namelythatthereisno
controlormonitoringoftherespondentsortheirresponses.Futurestudiescould
alternativelyutilizeamorereliablemethodofcompletingthequestionnaires.
Whiletherehasbeenasignificantamountofresearcharoundthevarioustopicsdiscussed
inthisstudy,thereisalackofstudiesregardingmarketdemandforassistivesocialrobotsin
Australia,andthestudiesonthematterinternationallyhaveoftenbeengovernment
supportedandhavenotallcomefrompeerreviewedsources.Furtherstudiesinthearea
andpublicationinacademicjournalscouldremedythis.
Futurestudiescouldalsoexaminetheresultsindetailinordertoestablishpotentiallyin
demandapplicationsorbundlesofapplicationsforassistivesocialrobots.
References
Abs2013.HouseholdUseofInformationTechnology,Australia,201213.AustralianBureau
ofStatistics.
Antons,C.M.,Dilla,B.L.&Filtz,M.L.1997.Assessingstudentattitudes:Computervs.
pencil.7thAnnualForumoftheAssociationforInstitutionalResearch.Orlando,FL,
USA.
Arkin,R.C.Governinglethalbehavior:Embeddingethicsinahybriddeliberative/reactive
robotarchitecturepartI:Motivationandphilosophy.HumanRobotInteraction
(HRI),20083rdACM/IEEEInternationalConferenceon,2008.IEEE,121128.
Atkeson,C.&Schaal,S.Robotlearningfromdemonstration.InternationalConferenceon
MachineLearning(ICML97),1997SanFransisco,CA.MorganKaufman,,1220.
Blackman,T.2013.Carerobotsforthesupermarketshelf:aproductgapinassistive
technologies.Ageing&Society,33,763781.
Borenstein,J.&Ulrich,I.TheGuideCaneacomputerizedtravelaidfortheactiveguidance
ofblindpedestrians.RoboticsandAutomation,1997.Proceedings.,1997IEEE
InternationalConferenceon,2025Apr19971997.12831288vol.2.
Breazeal,C.2002.DesigningSociableRobots,Cambridge,MA,MITPress.
Breazeal,C.2003.Towardsociablerobots.RoboticsandAutonomousSystems,42,167175.
Broadbent,E.,Stafford,R.&Macdonald,B.2009.Acceptanceofhealthcarerobotsforthe
olderpopulation:reviewandfuturedirections.InternationalJournalofSocial
Robotics,1,319330.
Broekens,J.,Heerink,M.&Rosendal,H.2009.Assistivesocialrobotsinelderlycare:a
review.Gerontechnology,8,94103.
Burgar,C.G.,Lum,P.S.,Shor,P.C.&Hfm2000.Developmentofrobotsforrehabilitation
therapy:thePaloAltoVA/Stanfordexperience.JournalofRehabilitationResearch&
Development,37,663673.
Chen,C.H.&Mort,G.S.2007.Consumers'technologyadoptionbehaviour:analternative
model.TheMarketingReview,7,355368.
Ciccp,C.F.I.C.a.C.P.2012.Theroboticsinnovationchallenge.Paris,France:Directorate
ForScience,TechnologyAndIndustry.
Cohen,P.R.&Oviatt,S.L.1995.Theroleofvoiceinputforhumanmachinecommunication.
proceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences,92,99219927.
Czaja,S.J.,Charness,N.,Fisk,A.D.,Hertzog,C.,Nair,S.N.,Rogers,W.A.&Sharit,J.2006.
Factorspredictingtheuseoftechnology:findingsfromtheCenterforResearchand
EducationonAgingandTechnologyEnhancement(CREATE).Psychologyandaging,
21,333.
Dautenhahm,K.1995.Gettingtoknoweachotherartificialsocialintelligencefor
autonomousrobots.RoboticsandAutonomousSystems,16,333356.
Dautenhahm,K.,Ogden,B.&Quick,T.2002.Fromembodiedtosociallyembeddedagents
implicationsforinteractionawarerobots.CognitiveSystemsResearch,3,397428.
Dautenhahn,K.&Billard,A.1999.Bringinguprobotsorthepsychologyofsocially
intelligentrobots:Fromtheorytoimplementation.AutonomousAgents.NewYork,
NewYork:ACM.
Davis,F.D.1989.Perceivedusefulness,perceivedeaseofuse,anduseracceptanceof
informationtechnology.MISquarterly,319340.
Denning,T.,Matuszek,C.,Koscher,K.,Smith,J.R.&Kohno,T.Aspotlightonsecurityand
privacyriskswithfuturehouseholdrobots:attacksandlessons.Proceedingsofthe
11thinternationalconferenceonUbiquitouscomputing,2009.ACM,105114.
DepartmentofHealth2011.WellforLife:Improvingemotionalwellbeingforolderpeople
In:HEALTH,D.O.(ed.).Melbourne,Victoria:Wellbeing,IntegratedCareandAgeing
Division,VictorianGovernmentDepartmentofHealth,Melbourne,Victoria.
Dey,E.1997.WorkingwithLowSurveyResponseRates:TheEfficacyofWeighting
Adjustments.ResearchinHigherEducation,38,215227.
Diener,E.,Oishi,S.&Lucas,R.E.2003.Personality,culture,andsubjectivewellbeing:
Emotionalandcognitiveevaluationsoflife.AnnualReviewofPsychology,54,40325.
Dillman,D.A.1991.Thedesignandadministrationofmailsurveys.Annualreviewof
sociology,225249.
Dillman,D.A.2000.Mailandinternetsurveys:thetailoreddesignmethod,NewYork,John
Wiley&Sons.
Dolniar,S.2004.BeyondCommonsenseSegmentation:ASystematicsofSegmentation
ApproachesinTourism.JournalofTravelResearch,42,244250.
Dolniar,S.&Leisch,F.2014.Usinggraphicalstatisticstobetterunderstandmarket
segmentationsolutions.InternationalJournalofMarketResearch,56,207230.
Dubowsky,S.,Genot,F.,Godding,S.,Kozono,H.,Skwersky,A.,Haoyong,Y.&LongShen,Y.
PAMMaroboticaidtotheelderlyformobilityassistanceandmonitoring:a
“helpinghand”fortheelderly.RoboticsandAutomation,2000.
Proceedings.ICRA'00.IEEEInternationalConferenceon,20002000.570576vol.1.
FeilSeifer,D.&Matari,M.J.DefiningSociallyAssistiveRobotics.IEEE9thInternational
ConferenceonRehabilitationRobotics,2005Chicago,IL,USA,.
Flandorfer,P.20102.PopulationAgeingandSociallyAssistiveRobotsforElderlyPersons:
TheImportanceofSociodemographicFactorsforUserAcceptance.International
JournalofPopulationResearch,Volume2012,113.
Fogg,B.J.1999.PersuasiveTechnologies.CommunicationsoftheACM,42,2629.
Fong,T.,Nourbakhsh,I.&Dautenhahm,K.2003.Asurveyofsociallyinteractiverobots.
RoboticsandAutonomousSystems,42,143166.
Fridin,M.&Belokopytov,M.2014.Acceptanceofsociallyassistivehumanoidrobotby
preschoolandelementaryschoolteachers.ComputersinHumanBehavior,33,2331.
Friedman,B.,KahnJr,P.H.&Borning,A.2006.Valuesensitivedesignandinformation
systems.Humancomputerinteractioninmanagementinformationsystems:
Foundations,5,348372.
Gimenez,A.,Balaguer,C.,Sabatini,A.M.&Genovese,V.TheMATSroboticsystemtoassist
disabledpeopleintheirhomeenvironments.IntelligentRobotsandSystems,2003.
(IROS2003).Proceedings.2003IEEE/RSJInternationalConferenceon,2731Oct.
20032003.26122617vol.3.
Graf,B.,Hans,M.,Kubacki,J.&Schraft,R.D.RobotichomeassistantCareObotII.
EngineeringinMedicineandBiology,2002.24thAnnualConferenceandtheAnnual
FallMeetingoftheBiomedicalEngineeringSocietyEMBS/BMESConference,2002.
ProceedingsoftheSecondJoint,2326Oct.20022002.23432344vol.3.
Handwerk,P.G.,Carson,C.&Blackwell,K.M.2000.Onlinevs.paperandpencilsurveying
ofstudents:Acasestudy.40thAnnualForumoftheAssociationforInstitutional
Research.Cincinnati,OH,USA.
Harwin,W.S.,Ginige,A.&Jackson,R.D.1988.Arobotworkstationforuseineducationof
thephysicallyhandicapped.BiomedicalEngineering,IEEETransactionson,35,127
131.
Hellerstein,J.L.,Kar,G.&Keller,A.2006.Systemsandmethodsforserviceandrolebased
softwaredistribution.GooglePatents.
Holland,O.1997.GreyWalter:ThePioneerofRealArtificialLife,inArtificialLifeV:
ProceedingsoftheFifthInternationalWorkshopontheSynthesisandSimulationof
LivingSystemsCambridge,MA,MITPress.
Ifr,I.F.O.R.2013.IndustrialRobotStatistics.
Iso,I.O.F.S.1994.ManipulatingIndustrialRobotsVocabulary.
Iso,I.O.F.S.2012.RobotsandroboticdevicesVocabulary.GeneralTerms.
Kamakura,W.A.&Russell,G.J.1989.AProbabilisticChoiceModelForMarket
SegmentationAndEl.JMR,JournalofMarketingResearch,26,379.
Kasteler,J.,Gay,R.&Carruth,M.1968.Involuntaryrelcoationoftheelderly.The
Gerontologist,8,276279.
Kawamura,K.,Bagchi,S.,Iskarous,M.&Bishay,M.1995.Intelligentroboticsystemsin
serviceofthedisabled.RehabilitationEngineering,IEEETransactionson,3,1421.
Kerschner,P.A.&Hart,K.C.1984.Theageduserandtechnology.Communications
technologyandtheelderly:Issuesandforecasts,135144.
Khamis,A.M.,Kamel,M.S.&Salichs,M.A.2007.HUMANROBOTINTERFACESFORSOCIAL
INTERACTION.InternationalJournalofRobotics&Automation,22,215221.
Kotler,P.1986.PrinciplesofMarketing,NewJersey,PrenticeHall.
Krosnick,J.A.1999.Surveyresearch.Annualreviewofpsychology,50,537567.
KuanTing,Y.,ChiPang,L.,MingFang,C.,WeiHao,M.,ShiHuan,T.&LiChen,F.An
interactiveroboticwalkerforassistingelderlymobilityinseniorcareunit.Advanced
RoboticsanditsSocialImpacts(ARSO),2010IEEEWorkshopon,2628Oct.2010
2010.2429.
Kwakkel,G.,Kollen,B.J.&Krebs,H.I.2008.EffectsofRobotAssistedTherapyonUpper
LimbRecoveryAfterStroke:ASystematicReview.NeurorehabilitationandNeural
Repair,22,111121.
Mataric,M.1995.Issuesandapproachesindesignofcollectiveautonomousagents.
RoboticsandAutonomousSystems,16,321331.
Mataric,M.2007.TheRoboticsPrimer,Cambridge,MA,MITPress.
Michaud,F.&Clavet,A.2001.Robotoycontestdesigningmobilerobotictoysforautistic
children.Proc.oftheAmericanSocietyforEngineeringEducation(ASEE01).
Michaud,F.,Salter,T.,Duquette,A.,Mercier,H.,Lauria,M.,Larouche,H.&Larose,F.
Assistivetechnologiesandchildrobotinteraction.AAAIspringsymposiumon
multidisciplinarycollaborationforsociallyassistiverobotics,2007.
Mitzner,T.L.,Boron,J.B.,Fausset,C.B.,Adams,A.E.,Charness,N.,Czaja,S.J.,Dijkstra,K.,
Fisk,A.D.,Rogers,W.A.&Sharit,J.2010.Olderadultstalktechnology:Technology
usageandattitudes.ComputersinHumanBehavior,26,17101721.
Murphy,R.R.2000.Robotsandeducation[GuestEditorial].IntelligentSystemsandtheir
Applications,IEEE,15,1415.
Norman,D.A.1999.Affordance,conventions,anddesign.interactions,6,3843.
Nunnally,J.C.1967.PsychometricTheory,NewYork,McGrawHill.
Pollman,A.W.&Johnson,A.C.1974.Resistancetochange,earlyretirementand
managerialdecisions.IndustrialGerontology.
Robertson,T.S.1971.Innovativebehaviorandcommunication,Holt,RinehartandWinston
NewYork.
Roelands,M.,Oost,P.V.,Buysse,A.&Depoorter,A.2002.Awarenessamongcommunity
dwellingelderlyofassistivedevicesformobilityandselfcareandattitudestowards
theiruse.SocialScience&Medicine,54,14411451.
Saczynski,J.S.,Pfeifer,L.A.,Masaki,K.,Korf,E.S.,Laurin,D.,White,L.&Launer,L.J.2006.
TheEffectofSocialEngagementonIncidentDementiaTheHonoluluAsiaAging
Study.AmericanJournalofEpidemiology,163,433440.
Sax,L.,Gilmartin,S.&Bryant,A.2003.Assessingresponseratesandnonresponsebiasin
webandpapersurveeys.ResearchinHigherEducation,44,409432.
Sharkey,A.&Sharkey,N.2012.Grannyandtherobots:ethicalissuesinrobotcareforthe
elderly.EthicsandInformationTechnology,14,2740.
Simpson,R.C.&Levine,S.P.2002.Voicecontrolofapoweredwheelchair.NeuralSystems
andRehabilitationEngineering,IEEETransactionson,10,122125.
Sirgy,M.J.&DongJin,L.1996.Settingsociallyresponsiblemarketingobjectives:Aquality
oflifeapproach.EuropeanJournalofMarketing,30,2034.
Smith,J.2003.Stressandaging:Theoreticalandempiricalchallengesforinterdisciplinary
research.NeurobiologyofAging,24,S77S80.
Tapus,A.,Maja,M.&Scassellatti,B.2007.Thegrandchallengesinsociallyassistiverobotics.
IEEERoboticsandAutomationMagazine,14.
Thong,J.1999.Anintegratedmodelofinformationsystemsadoptioninsmallbusiness.
JournalofManagementInformationSystems,15,187214.
Uhl,K.,Andrus,R.&Poulsen,L.1970.HowAreLaggardsDifferent?AnEmpiricalInquiry.
JournalofMarketingResearch(JMR),7.
VanDijk,J.A.2006.Digitaldivideresearch,achievementsandshortcomings.Poetics,34,
221235.
Werry,I.&Dautenhahn,K.Applyingmobilerobottechnologytotherehabilitationofautistic
children.In:ProcsSIRS99,7thSymponIntelligentRoboticSystems,1999.
AppendixA
LettertoParticipants
DearParticipant,
IamaresearchstudentfromtheFacultyofBusiness,EconomicsandLawatLaTrobe
University.IamveryinterestedintheperceptionsoftheVictoriancommunityabout
assistivetechnology,andinparticularassistivesocialrobots,andsoIaminvitingyoutotake
partinaresearchstudyinvestigatingthemarketdemandforassistivesocialrobotsin
Australia.
Assistivesocialrobotsaredevicesthatexistattheintersectionofassistiverobotsandsocial
robots.Assistiverobotsaregenerallyobjectsthatprovidephysicalassistance,suchassmart
wheelchairsorartificiallimbs,whilesocialrobotsaredesignedtointeractsociallywith
people.Assistivesocialrobotsarerobotsthatassistpeople,butprimarilythroughsocial
interactionratherthanphysically.Anexampleisarobotwhichcansinganddancetoyour
favouritesongsandtomaketelephonecallsforsomeonethroughtheuseofvoice
commands.
ThestudyaimstofindoutwhatkindofapplicationspeopleinAustraliaseeaspotentially
usefulinanassistivesocialrobot,andwillbeseekingtheopinionsofpeoplefromavariety
ofbackgrounds,agesandprofessions.Ihopetousetheinformationfromthisresearchto
directdevelopmentandtestingofapplicationsofassistivesocialrobotsandtoestablishthe
levelofmarketdemandforsuchapplications,withinAustralia,soastoacceleratethe
developmentofaproductforAustralia.
Ifyoutakepartinthisstudy,youwillbeaskedtofillinabriefquestionnaire.The
questionnairemaybecompletedonline,orifyoupreferacopycanbemailedouttoyou,
withareturnenvelope.Itisestimatedthatthequestionnairewilltakeapproximately5
minutestocomplete,anditwillaskquestionsaboutwhatyouthinkmayormaynotbe
usefulapplicationsforanassistivesocialrobot.Theidentityofallparticipantswillbekept
private,andallinformationwillbeanonymous.Theinformationcollectedwillbeusedto
developamarketdemandmodel,aswellasforresearchpublications.Allparticipantswill
beenteredintoadrawtowinoneofthree$100Colesvouchers.
Ihopethatyouwillbeabletohelpthisresearchstudybycompletingthebrief
questionnaire.
Pleaseseethequestionnaireat
https://latrobe.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2c5BpIZ3sdNoqr3orpleasecontactmeat
r.stone@latrobe.edu.auoron(03)94791226toarrangepostingacopy.
Thankyou.
YoursSincerely,
RichardStone
AppendixB
TheSurveyInstrument
AppendixC
StatisticalResults
UnivariateAnalysis
Gender
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Female
429
66.4
Male
203
31.4
Total
632
97.8
14
2.2
646
100.0
System
Total
Age Group
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
18-29
445
68.9
30-39
99
15.3
40-49
52
8.0
50-59
25
3.9
Total
621
96.1
25
3.9
646
100.0
System
Total
BivariateAnalysis
Correlations
SensoryEnrichm
HealthWellBeing SocialConnectivit
ent
Pearson Correlation
SensoryEnrichment
Pearson Correlation
HealthWellBeing
.660**
.844**
.899**
.000
.000
.000
631
616
619
628
.660**
.729**
.710**
.000
.000
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
616
624
611
618
.844**
.729**
.947**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000
619
611
Pearson Correlation
SocialConnectivity
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
Productivity
.000
626
621
Qual
.899**
.710**
.947**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000
.000
628
618
621
633
.897**
.873**
.951**
.946**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000
.000
.000
602
602
602
602
Pearson Correlation
Productivity
Pearson Correlation
QualityofLife
MultivariateAnalysis
Variables Entered/Removeda
Model
Variables Entered
Variables
Method
Removed
Productivity,
1
HealthWellBeing,
. Enter
SensoryEnrichment,
SocialConnectivityb
Model Summary
Model
.998a
R Square
Adjusted R
Square
Estimate
.995
.995
1.29798
ANOVAa
Model
Sum of Squares
Regression
Residual
Total
df
Mean Square
220664.389
55166.097
1005.790
597
1.685
221670.179
601
F
32744.567
Sig.
.000b
Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Sig.
Coefficients
B
(Constant)
Beta
-.458
.228
.698
.020
HealthWellBeing
1.027
SocialConnectivity
SensoryEnrichment
1
Std. Error
Productivity
-2.009
.045
.222
34.922
.000
.012
.355
86.899
.000
1.082
.028
.347
39.022
.000
.533
.034
.166
15.653
.000
Variables Entered/Removeda
Model
Variables
Variables
Entered
Removed
SensoryEnrich
Method
. Enter
mentb
Model Summary
Model
.897a
R Square
Adjusted R
Square
Estimate
.805
.805
8.47812
ANOVAa
Model
Sum of Squares
Regression
Residual
Total
df
Mean Square
178543.026
178543.026
43127.154
600
71.879
221670.179
601
Sig.
.000b
2483.953
Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
Std. Error
Beta
Sig.
(Constant)
19.886
1.115
2.822
.057
17.842
.000
49.839
.000
1
SensoryEnrichment
.897
Variables
Variables
Entered
Removed
HealthWellBein
Method
. Enter
gb
Model Summary
Model
R Square
.873a
Adjusted R
Square
Estimate
.763
.762
9.36109
ANOVAa
Model
Sum of Squares
Regression
Residual
Total
df
Mean Square
169092.144
169092.144
52578.036
600
87.630
221670.179
601
Sig.
.000b
1929.613
Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Sig.
Coefficients
B
Std. Error
(Constant)
3.166
1.628
HealthWellBeing
2.529
.058
Beta
1.945
.052
43.927
.000
1
a. Dependent Variable: QualityofLife
Variables Entered/Removeda
Model
Variables
Variables
Entered
Removed
Method
.873
SocialConnectiv
. Enter
ityb
Model Summary
Model
R Square
.951a
Adjusted R
Square
Estimate
.904
.903
5.96852
Sum of Squares
Regression
Residual
Total
df
Mean Square
200296.241
200296.241
21373.938
600
35.623
221670.179
601
Sig.
.000b
5622.630
Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Sig.
Coefficients
B
(Constant)
Std. Error
13.955
.820
2.966
.040
Beta
17.012
.000
74.984
.000
1
SocialConnectivity
a. Dependent Variable: QualityofLife
Variables Entered/Removeda
Model
Variables
Variables
Entered
Removed
Productivityb
Method
. Enter
Model Summary
.951
Model
R Square
.946a
Adjusted R
Square
Estimate
.895
.895
6.22201
ANOVAa
Model
Sum of Squares
Regression
Mean Square
198442.152
198442.152
23228.027
600
38.713
221670.179
601
Residual
Total
df
Sig.
5125.932
.000b
Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Sig.
Coefficients
B
Std. Error
(Constant)
13.178
.869
Productivity
3.043
.042
Beta
15.162
.000
71.596
.000
1
a. Dependent Variable: QualityofLife
ReliabilityTesting
All variables
Case Processing Summary
N
Valid
Cases
Excludeda
Total
%
602
93.2
44
6.8
646
100.0
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha
N of Items
.946
.879
Sensory Enrichment
Case Processing Summary
N
Valid
Cases
%
602
93.2
44
6.8
646
100.0
Excludeda
Total
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
N of Items
Alpha
.683
HealthandWellbeing
%
602
93.2
44
6.8
646
100.0
Excludeda
Total
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
N of Items
Alpha
.700
SocialConnectivity
Valid
%
602
93.2
Excludeda
Total
44
6.8
646
100.0
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
N of Items
Alpha
.712
Productivity
%
602
93.2
44
6.8
646
100.0
Excludeda
Total
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
N of Items
Alpha
.698
ListofTables
Table4.1
SensoryEnrichmentanditsfactors
p.36
Table4.2
HealthandWellbeinganditsfactors
p.37
Table4.3
SocialConnectivityanditsfactors
p.38
Table4.4
Productivityanditsfactors
p.38
Table4.5
QualityofLifeanditsfactors
p.39
Table5.1
QualityofLife/Gender
p.40
Table5.2
Expectedqualityoflifebyagegroup
p.41
Table5.3
PearsonsCorrelations
p.42
Table5.4
ReliabilityResults
p.45
Fiveelementsofemotionalwellbeing
p.20
ListofFigures
Figure2.1