Engageing with Servicerobot «Relay». A longitudinal study on the change in emotional, cognitive and behavioral engagement

Abstract

The everyday use of robots is becoming increasingly prevalent due to continuous advancements in artificial intelligence. The great potential of using robots, such as Relay, an autonomous service robot, has been recognized in healthcare facilities in particular. In the context of changes in the workplace resulting from the use of robots, it is essential to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks that Relay brings. Furthermore, it remains unclear how practitioners’ engagement with Relay manifests, how it changes over time, and what the reasons behind such changes are. To address these questions, engagement is analyzed from three dimensions: emotion, cognition, and behavior. A longitudinal study was conducted in two hospitals employing Relay, utilizing non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and a scale reflecting attitudes towards Relay. Qualitative content analysis revealed four engagement types: the Committers, Prosaists, Optimists, and Pragmatists. Results indicated that the emotional dimension changed over time, whereas the cognitive and behavior-based dimensions remained constant. The scale indicated a decline in perceiving Relay as a social actor over time. Relay’s strength lies in relieving staff, while disruptions and technical malfunctions were cited as weaknesses.