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This paper aims to examine the congruency effects of physically embodied robots in service encounters, which addressed a significant research gap concerning the synthesis of robot design elements (e.g., appearance and voice) and their service purposes.

Grounded in congruity theory and human-robot interaction literature, this study conducted a pretest and two experimental studies revealing the need to view robot design holistically and recognizing the pivotal role of congruity in shaping consumers’ service robot adoption. The moderating role of service purposes (utilitarian vs hedonic) was also investigated in terms of robot design and consumer reactions.

Consumers generally tend to favor robots with congruent designs, particularly for utilitarian service purposes. The serial mediation through perceived congruence and perceived intelligence explains such a favorite tendency.

This study advances service robot design research by highlighting the critical role of congruity in enhancing consumer engagement. It supports the use of comprehensive, congruent designs for services with utilitarian purposes and recommends adaptable designs for hedonic settings.

This study addressed the research gap by examining service robot design from a holistic perspective. The research findings highlight the importance of congruency effects in service robot design and deployment and provide valuable insights and guidelines to industry practitioners for optimal investment in service robots.

The purpose of this study is to examine how robotic anthropomorphism and personalized design may affect consumers' reactions to brands after service failure.

This study conducted two studies based on cognitive appraisal theory and artificial intelligence device acceptance theory. Study 1 explored the mechanisms by which the type of anthropomorphic design of the service robot (humanoid robot/nonhumanoid robot) influenced revisit intention after service failure through a one-factor between-subjects design based on a restaurant dining scenario. Study 2 was based on a hotel check-in scenario and explored the moderating effect of robot personalization design on the above mechanisms through a 2 (anthropomorphic design: humanoid robot/nonhumanoid robot) × 2 (personalized design: self-name/no name) between-subjects design.

Study 1 shows that consumers have higher performance expectations for nonhumanoid robots, leading to a higher tolerance for service failure, which in turn generates higher revisit intentions. Study 2 shows that consumers' performance expectations are significantly enhanced after custom naming of humanoid robots, so the serial mediation mechanism for the effect of robot anthropomorphic design on revisit intention does not hold.

This study extends the research of artificial intelligence device acceptance theory in the field of service failure and exploratively proposes an intervention mechanism for the negative effects of the anthropomorphic design of service robots.

There is coupling between the branches of mobile parallel robots, similar to traditional parallel mechanisms, but there is currently relatively little research on the coupling problem between the branches of mobile parallel robots.

This study optimizes the coupling analysis method of traditional parallel mechanisms, treats the mobile parallel mechanism as a whole, takes the motion of the active pair as input and the overall motion of the mobile parallel mechanism as output and analyzes the input–output characteristics of the mobile parallel mechanism. Moreover, this study applies this theory to a mobile parallel mechanism, designs control logic and finally conducts simulation and physical verification.

This study proposes a coupling analysis method suitable for parallel mobile robots and designs the control logic of their active pair based on the results of their coupling analysis. This study designs a multimode variable coupling parallel mobile robot, which can change the coupling of the mechanism by changing its own branch chain structure, so that it can switch between different coupling configurations to meet the different needs brought by different terrains.

The work presented in this paper propose a method for analyzing the coupling of mobile parallel robots and simplify their control logic by applying coupling theory to the design of mobile parallel robots. This study conducts simulation and physical experiments, thereby filling the gap in the coupling analysis of parallel mobile robots and laying the foundation for the research of uncoupled parallel mobile robots.

This study aims to improve the stability and obstacle surmounting ability of the traditional wall-climbing robot on the surface of the ship, a wheel-track composite magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is proposed in this paper.

The robot adopts a front and rear obstacle-crossing mechanism to achieve a smooth crossover. The robot is composed of two passive obstacle-crossing mechanisms and a frame, which is composed of two obstacle-crossing magnetic wheels and a set of tracks. The obstacle-crossing is realized by the telescopic expansion of the obstacle-crossing mechanism. Three static failure models are established to determine the minimum adsorption force for the robot to achieve stable motion. The Halbach array is used to construct the track magnetic circuit, and the influence of gap, contact area and magnet thickness on the adsorption force is analyzed by parameter simulation.

The prototype was designed and manufactured by the authors for static failure and obstacle crossing tests. The prototype test results show that the robot can cross the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load.

A new structure of wall-climbing robot is proposed and verified. According to the test results, the wall-climbing robot can stably climb over the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load, which provides a new idea for future robot design.

The purpose of this paper is to design a climbing robot connected by a connecting rod mechanism to achieve multi-functional tasks such as obstacles crossing and climbing of power transmission towers.

A connecting rod type gripper has been designed to achieve stable grasping of angle steel. Before grasping, use coordination between structures to achieve stable docking and grasping. By using the alternating movements of two claws and the middle climbing mechanism, the climbing and obstacle crossing of the angle steel were achieved.

Through a simple linkage mechanism, a climbing robot has been designed, greatly reducing the overall mass of the robot. It can also carry a load of 1 kg, and the climbing mechanism can perform stable climbing. The maximum step distance of the climbing robot is 543 mm, which can achieve the crossing of angle steel obstacles.

A transmission tower climbing mechanism was proposed by analyzing the working environment. Through the locking ability of the screw nut, stable clamping of the angle steel is achieved, and a pitch mechanism is designed to adjust the posture of the hand claw.

Despite the proven evidence of ever-growing productivity gains in the manufacturing industry as a result of years of research and investment in advanced technologies, such as robotics, the adoption of robots in construction is still lagging. The existing literature lacks technical frameworks and guidelines that account for the one-of-a-kind nature of construction projects and the myriad of materials and dimensional components in construction activities. This study seeks to address existing technical uncertainty and productivity issues associated with the application of robotics in the assembly-type manufacturing of industrialized construction.

To facilitate the selection of suitable robotic arms for industrialized construction activities, primarily assembly-type manufacturing tasks of offsite production processes, an activity-based ranking system based on axiomatic design principles is proposed. The proposed ranking system utilizes five functional requirements derived from robot characteristics—speed, payload, reach, degrees of freedom and position repeatability—to evaluate robot performance in an industrialized construction task using simulations of a framing station.

Based on design parameters obtained from activity-based simulations, seventy six robotic arms suitable for the framing task were scored and ranked. According to the sensitivity analysis of proposed functional requirements, speed is the key functional requirement that has a notable effect on productivity of a framing station and is thus the determinant in robot performance assessment for framing tasks.

The proposed ranking system is expected to augment automation in construction and serve as a preliminary guideline to help construction professionals in making informed decisions regarding the adoption of robotic arms.

The purpose of this paper is to consider three factors, namely, intra-week demand fluctuations, interrelationship between the number of robots and order scheduling and conflicting objectives (i.e. cost minimization and customer satisfaction maximization), to optimize the robot logistics system.

The number of robots and the sequence of delivery orders are first optimized using the heuristic algorithm NSGACoDEM, which is designed using genetic algorithm and composite difference evolution. The superiority of this method is then confirmed by a case study of a four-star grade hotel in South Korea and several comparative experiments.

Two performance metrics reveal the superior performance of the proposed approach compared to other baseline approaches. Results of comparative experiments found that the consideration of three influencing factors in the operation design of a robot logistic system can effectively balance cost and customer satisfaction over the course of a week in hotel operation and optimize robot scheduling flexibility.

The results of this study reveal that numerous factors (e.g. intra-week demand fluctuations) can optimize the performance efficiency of robots. The proposed algorithm can be used by hotels to overcome the influence of intra-week demand fluctuations on robot scheduling flexibility effectively and thereby enhance work efficiency.

The design of a novel algorithm in this study entails enhancing the current robot logistics system. This algorithm can successfully manage cost and customer satisfaction during off-seasons and peak seasons in the hotel industry while offering diversified schemes to various types of hotels.

This study aims to address the issues of limited pipe diameter adaptability and low inspection efficiency of current pipeline inspection robots, a new type of pipeline inspection robot capable of adapting to various pipe diameters was designed.

The diameter-changing mechanism uses a multilink elastic telescopic structure consisting of telescopic rods, connecting rods and wheel frames, driven by a single motor with a helical drive scheme. A geometric model of the position relationships of the hinge points was established based on the two extreme positions of the diameter-changing mechanism.

A pipeline inspection robot was designed using a simple linkage agency, which significantly reduced the weight of the robot and enhanced its adaptive pipe diameter ability. The analysis determined that the robot could accommodate pipe diameters ranging from 332 mm to 438 mm. A static equilibrium equation was established for the robot in the hovering state, and the minimum pressing force of the wheels against the pipe wall was determined to be 36.68 N. After experimental testing, the robots could successfully pass a height of 15 mm, demonstrating the good obstacle capacity of the robot.

This paper explores and proposes a new type of multilink elastic telescopic variable diameter pipeline inspection robot, which has the characteristics of strong adaptability and flexible operation, which makes it more competitive in the field of pipeline inspection robots and has great potential market value.

The robot is characterized by the innovative design of a multilink elastic telescopic structure and the use of a single motor to drive the wheel for spiral motion. On the basis of reducing the weight of the robot, it has good pipeline adaptability, climbing ability and obstacle-crossing ability.

This paper aims to explore and review the potential of robotic rehabilitation as a treatment approach for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its impact on the health and quality of life of AD patients.

The present discourse endeavors to provide a comprehensive overview of extant scholarly inquiries that have examined the salience of inhibitory mechanisms vis-à-vis robotic interventions and their impact on patients with AD. Specifically, this review aims to explicate the contemporary state of affairs in this realm by furnishing a detailed explication of ongoing research endeavors. With the objective of elucidating the significance of inhibitory processes in robotic therapies for individuals with AD, this analysis offers a critical appraisal of extant literature that probes the intersection of cognitive mechanisms and assistive technologies. Through a meticulous analysis of diverse scholarly contributions, this review advances a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between inhibitory processes and robotic interventions in the context of AD.

According to the review papers, it appears that implementing robot-assisted rehabilitation can serve as a pragmatic and effective solution for enhancing the well-being and overall quality of life of patients and families engaged with AD. Besides, this new feature in the robotic area is anticipated to have a critical role in the success of this innovative approach.

Due to the nascent nature of this cutting-edge technology and the constrained configuration of the mechanized entity in question, further protracted analysis is imperative to ascertain the advantages and drawbacks of robotic rehabilitation vis-à-vis individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s ailment.

The potential for robots to serve as indispensable assets in the provision of care for individuals afflicted with AD is significant; however, their efficacy and appropriateness for utilization by caregivers of AD patients must be subjected to further rigorous scrutiny.

This paper reviews the current robotic method and compares the current state of the art for the AD patient.

The purpose of this paper is to present a wall-climbing robot platform for heavy-load with negative pressure adsorption, which could be equipped with a six-degree of freedom (DOF) collaborative robot (Cobot) and detection device for inspecting the overwater part of concrete bridge towers/piers for large bridges.

By analyzing the shortcomings of existing wall-climbing robots in detecting concrete structures, a wall-climbing mobile manipulator (WCMM), which could be compatible with various detection devices, is proposed for detecting the concrete towers/piers of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The factors affecting the load capacity are obtained by analyzing the antislip and antioverturning conditions of the wall-climbing robot platform on the wall surface. Design strategies for each part of the structure of the wall-climbing robot are provided based on the influencing factors. By deriving the equivalent adsorption force equation, analyzed the influencing factors of equivalent adsorption force and provided schemes that could enhance the load capacity of the wall-climbing robot.

The adsorption test verifies the maximum negative pressure that the fan module could provide to the adsorption chamber. The load capacity test verifies it is feasible to achieve the expected bearing requirements of the wall-climbing robot. The motion tests prove that the developed climbing robot vehicle could move freely on the surface of the concrete structure after being equipped with a six-DOF Cobot.

The development of the heavy-load wall-climbing robot enables the Cobot to be installed and equipped on the wall-climbing robot, forming the WCMM, making them compatible with carrying various devices and expanding the application of the wall-climbing robot.

A heavy-load wall-climbing robot using negative pressure adsorption has been developed. The wall-climbing robot platform could carry a six-DOF Cobot, making it compatible with various detection devices for the inspection of concrete structures of large bridges. The WCMM could be expanded to detect the concretes with similar structures. The research and development process of the heavy-load wall-climbing robot could inspire the design of other negative-pressure wall-climbing robots.