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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 November 2023

Rezia Molfino, Francesco E. Cepolina, Emanuela Cepolina, Elvezia Maria Cepolina and Sara Cepolina

The purpose of this study is to analyze the robot trends of the next generation.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the robot trends of the next generation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is divided into two sections: the key modern technology on which Europe's robotics industry has built its foundation is described. Then, the next key megatrends were analyzed.

Findings

Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are technologies of major importance for the development of humanity. This time is mature for the evolution of industrial and service robots. The perception of robot use has changed from threading to aiding. The cost of mass production of technological devices is decreasing, while a rich set of enabling technologies is under development. Soft mechanisms, 5G and AI have enabled us to address a wide range of new problems. Ethics should guide human behavior in addressing this newly available powerful technology in the right direction.

Originality/value

The paper describes the impact of new technology, such as AI and soft robotics. The world of work must react quickly to these epochal changes to enjoy their full benefits.

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2024

Namita Jain, Vikas Gupta, Valerio Temperini, Dirk Meissner and Eugenio D’angelo

This paper aims to provide insight into the evolving relationship between humans and machines, understanding its multifaceted impact on our lifestyle and landscape in the past as…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide insight into the evolving relationship between humans and machines, understanding its multifaceted impact on our lifestyle and landscape in the past as well as in the present, with implications for the near future. It uses bibliometric analysis combined with a systematic literature review to identify themes, trace historical developments and offer a direction for future human–machine interactions (HMIs).

Design/methodology/approach

To provide thorough coverage of publications from the previous four decades, the first section presents a text-based cluster bibliometric analysis based on 305 articles from 2,293 initial papers in the Scopus and Web of Science databases produced between 1984 and 2022. The authors used VOS viewer software to identify the most prominent themes through cluster identification. This paper presents a systematic literature review of 63 qualified papers using the PRISMA framework.

Findings

Next, the systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis revealed four major historical themes and future directions. The results highlight four major research themes for the future: from Taylorism to advanced technologies; machine learning and innovation; Industry 4.0, Society 5.0 and cyber–physical system; and psychology and emotions.

Research limitations/implications

There is growing anxiety among humankind that in the future, machines will overtake humans to replace them in various roles. The current study investigates the evolution of HMIs from their historical roots to Society 5.0, which is understood to be a human-centred society. It balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems through a system that radically integrates cyberspace and physical space. This paper contributes to research and current limited knowledge by identifying relevant themes and offering scope for future research directions. A close look at the analysis posits that humans and machines complement each other in various roles. Machines reduce the mechanical work of human beings, bringing the elements of humanism and compassion to mechanical tasks. However, in the future, smart innovations may yield machines with unmatched dexterity and capability unthinkable today.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to explore the ambiguous and dynamic relationships between humans and machines. The present study combines systematic review and bibliometric analysis to identify prominent trends and themes. This provides a more robust and systematic encapsulation of this evolution and interaction, from Taylorism to Society 5.0. The principles of Taylorism are extended and redefined in the context of HMIs, especially advanced technologies.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Gonzalo Lorenzo, Juan Antonio López-Núñez, Alejandro Lorenzo-Lledó and Jesús López-Belmonte

The aim of the study is to conduct a thematic review of assessment tools and types of activities in the application of robotics to autistic students during the period 1996–2021…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study is to conduct a thematic review of assessment tools and types of activities in the application of robotics to autistic students during the period 1996–2021 using Web of Science and Scopus. The sample consisted of 119 documents.

Design/methodology/approach

Nowadays, emerging technologies have become increasingly prevalent across various fields of knowledge. In this regard, robotics is being increasingly applied in the educational environment. The characteristics of this tool are the ones that best suit the needs of autistic students.

Findings

Results reveal that 16.80% of the studies used automatic measurement systems, whilst 15.96% of the studies used user observation and recording techniques. As for the tasks, 37.80% were focussed on imitation tasks. Amongst the practical implications is the need to include tasks that could be developed collaboratively in the regular classroom.

Originality/value

With this research, it is intended to disseminate in the scientific community what are the characteristics that should have the interaction activities between a robot and autistic students. In addition, the type of tool needed to evaluate the improvements in the interaction is proposed.

Details

Journal of Enabling Technologies, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-6263

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2024

Yi Li, Xinyu Zhou, Xia Jiang, Fan Fan and Bo Song

This study aims to compares the effects of different human-like appearances (low vs. medium vs. high) of service robots (SRs) on consumer trust in service robots (CTSR), examines…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to compares the effects of different human-like appearances (low vs. medium vs. high) of service robots (SRs) on consumer trust in service robots (CTSR), examines the mediating role of perceived warmth (WA) and perceived competence (CO) and demonstrates the moderating role of culture and service setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design includes three scenario-based experiments (Chinese hotel setting, American hotel setting, Chinese hospital setting).

Findings

Study 1 found SR’s human-like appearance can arouse perceived anthropomorphism (PA), which positively affects CTSR through parallel mediators (WA and CO). Study 2 revealed consumers from Chinese (vs. American) culture had higher CTSR. Study 3 showed consumers had higher WA and CO for SRs in the credence (vs. experience) service setting. The authors also had an exploratory analysis of the uncanny valley phenomenon.

Practical implications

The findings have practical implications for promoting the diffusion of SRs in the hospitality industry. Managers can increase CTSR by augmenting the anthropomorphic design of SRs; however, they must consider the differences in this effect across all service recipients (consumers from different cultures) and service settings.

Originality/value

The authors introduce WA and CO as mediators between PA and CTSR and set the culture and service setting as moderators.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 1 February 2024

Abstract

Details

Future Tourism Trends Volume 2
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-971-0

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Divya Choudhary and Indranil Nandy

A large number of organisations are moving towards adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0), and simultaneously, the emphasis on attaining sustainability development goals is also increasing…

Abstract

Purpose

A large number of organisations are moving towards adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0), and simultaneously, the emphasis on attaining sustainability development goals is also increasing. Hence, it is imperative to understand the interplay between I4.0 and sustainability. However, the literature addressing the same is still in infancy. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the potential sustainability impacts of I4.0 on the organisations and society in terms of sustainability risks.

Design/methodology/approach

To gain an understanding of sustainability aspects in the I4.0 context, relevant literature is gathered using Scopus and Web-of-Science database. An in-depth review of 51 research papers is performed to determine the sustainability risks associated with I4.0.

Findings

From the study, a total of 16 sustainability risks are identified, and I4.0 sustainability risk taxonomy is developed. The proposed taxonomy extends the sustainability implications of I4.0 beyond the triple bottom line umbrella and includes the organisational perspective as well. Furthermore, the study provides future research avenues to scholars by positing five potential research questions under different risk management stages.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides an understanding of sustainability risks associated with the adoption of I4.0. The findings will help practitioners streamline their production and operation processes by finding out possible solution to the sustainability risks of their smart factories in advance. The present research will act as a stepping stone towards I4.0 sustainability. The proposed research questions will assist the future researchers in extending the field of I4.0.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to address the topic of sustainability risks in the context of I4.0.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Jorge Carlos Fiestas Lopez Guido, Jee Won Kim, Peter T.L. Popkowski Leszczyc, Nicolas Pontes and Sven Tuzovic

Retailers increasingly endeavour to implement artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, such as humanoid social robots (HSRs), to enhance customer experience. This paper…

Abstract

Purpose

Retailers increasingly endeavour to implement artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, such as humanoid social robots (HSRs), to enhance customer experience. This paper investigates the interactive effect of HSR intelligence and consumers' speciesism on their perceptions of retail robots as sales assistants.

Design/methodology/approach

Three online experiments testing the effects of HSRs' intellectual intelligence on individuals' perceived competence and, consequently, their decision to shop at a retail store that uses HSRs as sales assistants are reported. Furthermore, the authors examine whether speciesism attenuates these effects such that a mediation effect is likely to be observed for individuals low in speciesism but not for those with high levels of speciesism. Data for all studies were collected on Prolific and analysed with SPSS to perform a logistic regression and PROCESS 4.0 (Hayes, 2022) for the mediation and moderated-mediation analysis.

Findings

The findings show that the level of speciesism moderates the relationship between HSR intellectual intelligence and perceived competence such that an effect is found for low but not for high HSR intelligence. When HSR intellectual intelligence is low, individuals with higher levels of speciesism (vs low) rate the HSR as less competent and display lower HSR acceptance (i.e. customers' decision to shop using retail robots as sales assistants).

Originality/value

This research responds to calls in research to adopt a human-like perspective to understand the compatibility between humans and robots and determine how personality traits, such as a person's level of speciesism, may affect the acceptance of AI technologies replicating human characteristics (Schmitt, 2019). To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present research is the first to examine the moderating role of speciesism on customer perceptions of non-human retail assistants (i.e. human-like and intelligent service robots). This study is the first to showcase that speciesism, normally considered a negative social behaviour, can positively influence individuals' decisions to engage with HSRs.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2024

Sa Xiao, Xuyang Chen, Yuankai Lu, Jinhua Ye and Haibin Wu

Imitation learning is a powerful tool for planning the trajectory of robotic end-effectors in Cartesian space. Present methods can adapt the trajectory to the obstacle; however…

Abstract

Purpose

Imitation learning is a powerful tool for planning the trajectory of robotic end-effectors in Cartesian space. Present methods can adapt the trajectory to the obstacle; however, the solutions may not always satisfy users, whereas it is hard for a nonexpert user to teach the robot to avoid obstacles in time as he/she wishes through demonstrations. This paper aims to address the above problem by proposing an approach that combines human supervision with the kernelized movement primitives (KMP) model.

Design/methodology/approach

This approach first extracts the reference database used to train KMP from demonstrations by using Gaussian mixture model and Gaussian mixture regression. Subsequently, KMP is used to modulate the trajectory of robotic end-effectors in real time based on feedback from its interaction with humans to avoid obstacles, which benefits from a novel reference database update strategy. The user can test different obstacle avoidance trajectories in the current task until a satisfactory solution is found.

Findings

Experiments performed with the KUKA cobot for obstacle avoidance show that this approach can adapt the trajectories of the robotic end-effector to the user’s wishes in real time, including trajectories that the robot has already passed and has not yet passed. Simulation comparisons also show that it exhibits better performance than KMP with the original reference database update strategy.

Originality/value

An interactive learning approach based on KMP is proposed and verified, which not only enables users to plan the trajectory of robotic end-effectors for obstacle avoidance more conveniently and efficiently but also provides an effective idea for accomplishing interactive learning tasks under constraints.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2023

Xiaoxiao Song, Yunpeng Li, Xi Yu Leung and Dong Mei

Drawing on anthropomorphism and the stereotype content model, this study aims to explore the impacts of robot anthropomorphism on hotel guests’ word of mouth and continuous usage…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on anthropomorphism and the stereotype content model, this study aims to explore the impacts of robot anthropomorphism on hotel guests’ word of mouth and continuous usage intention through perceived warmth and competence. This study also investigates the moderating effects of guests’ expertise.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 524 valid data was collected with Chinese hotel guest through an online survey. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results indicate that robot anthropomorphism positively affects perceived warmth and competence. Perceived warmth positively affects guests’ word of mouth and continuous usage intention, while perceived competence only positively influences guests’ continuous usage intention. The findings further show that guest expertise weakens the positive relationship between robot anthropomorphism and perceived warmth and competence.

Originality/value

This study advances robot service literature by integrating the stereotype content model with robot anthropomorphism in exploring hotel guests’ perceptions on service robots. This study also discovers the vital boundary role of guest characteristics in human–robot interaction. This study provides valuable information for hoteliers to design and adopt better robots for optimal guest experiences.

目的

基于拟人化和刻板印象内容模型, 本研究探讨了机器人拟人化通过感知温暖和感知能力对酒店客人的口碑和持续使用意向的影响。此外, 本研究也探讨了客人专业知识的调节作用。

设计/方法/途径

通过在线调查问卷, 我们共收集了来自中国酒店客人的524份有效数据, 并采用结构方程模型对这些数据进行了分析。

结果

研究结果表明, 机器人拟人化积极影响感知温暖和感知能力。感知温暖会对客人的口碑和持续使用意向产生积极影响, 而感知能力只对客人的持续使用意向产生积极影响。研究结果进一步表明, 客人的专业知识会削弱机器人拟人化与感知温暖和能力之间的积极关系。

原创性/价值

为了探索酒店客人对服务机器人的感知(状况/情况), 本研究将机器人拟人化因素整合到刻板印象内容模型中, 其结果推动了机器人服务研究的发展。本研究还发现了客人特征在人机互动中的重要边界作用。本研究为酒店经营者设计和采用更好的机器人以获得最佳的客人体验提供了有价值的参考。

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Se recopiló datos válidos de un total de 524 clientes de hoteles chinos mediante una encuesta en línea. Los datos fueron analizados mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales.

Objetivo

Basándose en el antropomorfismo y en el modelo de contenido estereotipado, este estudio explora el impacto del antropomorfismo de los robots en el boca a boca de los clientes del hotel y en la intención de uso continuado a través de la calidez y la competencia percibidas. El estudio investiga también los efectos moderadores de la experiencia de los huéspedes.

Conclusiones

Los resultados indican que el antropomorfismo del robot afecta positivamente a la calidez y a la competencia percibidas. La calidez percibida influye positivamente en el boca a boca y en la intención de uso continuado de los huéspedes, mientras que la competencia percibida sólo influye positivamente en la intención de uso continuado de los huéspedes. Los resultados muestran, además, que la experiencia del cliente debilita la relación positiva entre el antropomorfismo del robot y la percepción de calidez y de competencia.

Originalidad/valor

Este estudio supone un avance en la literatura sobre robots de servicio al integrar el modelo de contenido estereotipado con el antropomorfismo de los robots, en la exploración de las percepciones de los huéspedes de hoteles sobre los robots de servicio. Este estudio también muestra el papel vital que desempeñan las características de los huéspedes en la interacción humano-robot. El estudio proporciona información valiosa para que los hoteleros diseñen y adopten mejores robots para ofrecer experiencias óptimas a los huéspedes.

Article
Publication date: 22 February 2024

Amy Wong and Jimmy Wong

This study aims to apply the service robot acceptance model (sRAM) to examine how attitude toward human–robot interaction (HRI) and engagement influence consumer acceptance of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to apply the service robot acceptance model (sRAM) to examine how attitude toward human–robot interaction (HRI) and engagement influence consumer acceptance of service robots in a frontline setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from 255 visitors who interacted with a robotic tour guide at a city museum. The data was analyzed using smart PLS 4.0.

Findings

The findings show the positive effects of subjective norms, appearance, perceived trust and positive emotion on both attitude toward HRI and engagement. In addition, social capability impacted attitude toward HRI, whereas perceived usefulness affected engagement.

Practical implications

To deliver engaging museum experiences that bring about positive word-of-mouth and intention to visit, managers need to incorporate the sRAM dimensions in the design and deployment of service robots.

Originality/value

This research uses field data to empirically validate the sRAM in the context of service robot acceptance. It introduces engagement as a novel mediating variable, enriching current understanding of human-like qualities in HRIs.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

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