Design and Acceptability of Technology: introduction to “Robotics & Design: the tool to design Human-Centered Assistive Robotics"

Assistive robotics is making significant progress in a wide variety of areas and will play a key role in the coming years as part of strategies for Ageing in Place and Active and Healthy Aging. In an effort to design for acceptability of technology, it is essential to make effective interdisciplinary cooperation among all professionals involved in the development of robotic systems. The presented research is based on a general hypothesis: the HCD approach, if applied to the preliminary design phases of assistive robots, could lead to a deep understanding of needs, expectations and desires of people. An appropriate knowledge of the user, of the context in which the interaction takes place and of the activities to be performed, could increase the attitude and intention of people to use assistive robots. This process would be even more effective if the designer knew the variables of acceptance in the HRI field. On this basis, the tool “Robotics & Design: the tool to design Human-Centered Assistive Robotics,” was developed. This paper presents this tool and its main features.