Human Acceptance As Part of the Soft Robot Design

Abstract

As machines and robots become a increasingly larger part of society, it
is important that they are fully accepted. If the machines are not
utilized as intended, it is not only a waste of time and energy, but
also of valuable resources. This acceptance by humans of robots is based
on how well the interaction with robots is trusted. Trust of robots can
be based on three approaches: physical safety, operational
understanding, and the social aspect of training. It is important to
also consider these aspects when designing machines that will interact
with humans, since acceptance by the people is key for the correct
utilization of the machines. A possible approach to solve the issues
around trust are soft robots. These machines are adaptable to a
situation by either a physical flexibility or a digital anticipation due
to sensing and control. This adaptiveness to humans in different ways
makes Soft Robotics easier to accept then regular rigid machines. With
their reduced or prevented effect if collided with humans they are
safer. Because of the reduced operational complexity and digital
simulations they are therefore easier to understand. Training becomes
also easier as operator can experience the flexible nature of soft
material themselves as well have augmented reality or virtual reality to
assist them in training and operating. All these benefits of Soft
Robotics will eventually lead to better acceptance of robots and should
therefore be taken into account when designing robots to enable a
flourishing automatized society.