Social and Service Robots in Hospitality: a study with two humanoid robots
Faria, Rafael (2021)
Faria, Rafael
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021111920736
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021111920736
Tiivistelmä
With the hospitality industry in mind, this thesis looks at robots’ acceptance and functionality. This thesis is aimed to find information about service and social robots and investigate how two humanoids Amy and Alf, can be accepted and applied in the hospitality sector. This thesis also addresses the service and social robot user experience, feelings, and insights. The small-scale study was performed using data collected on workshops at the Arcada UAS Campus during November and December 2020, with students in the hospitality and service design courses. The primary data was collected through a survey questionnaire, field observations, video and audio recordings. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes and support answering the research questions. The data gave way to answering how are social and service robots seen as possible purposeful agents in the service sector. Moreover, to find what features are seen as useful in a service context.
The two humanoids in the study were seemingly well received by the users, with particular consideration to the design differences and features availability making Amy a straightforward service robot. In contrast, Alf a more sociable humanoid, with users who have a more playful attitude during its workshop tasks. With ongoing development and societal changes, there are many opportunities to continue studying the use cases for service and social robots in hospitality and other industries.
The two humanoids in the study were seemingly well received by the users, with particular consideration to the design differences and features availability making Amy a straightforward service robot. In contrast, Alf a more sociable humanoid, with users who have a more playful attitude during its workshop tasks. With ongoing development and societal changes, there are many opportunities to continue studying the use cases for service and social robots in hospitality and other industries.