The Potential of Using Social Service Robots in the Healthcare Environment

Abstract

[EN] This study investigates the perceived value of social service robots within simulated healthcare settings, focusing on the TEMI robot. Utilizing Likert questionnaires, 25 diverse participants engaged in scenarios involving the robot's interaction in a hospital context. The research aimed to understand adults' perceptions of service robots' value in healthcare and the factors influencing this perception. Results revealed overwhelmingly positive assessments across various facets of perceived value, indicating significant interest in integrating service robots into healthcare practices. Notably, gender and age variations influenced specific aspects of perceived value, with males showing more interest in utilization and females valuing comprehensibility and interaction positions. However, concerns arose regarding learning challenges and physical dimensions, particularly for taller individuals. To enhance the study's reliability, future research should replicate the experiment in real hospital environments, focusing on a larger sample of hospital workers, and include healthcare college teachers and medical students as participants to enrich the study's scope.