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2024
Conference Paper
Title
A Clusters Service Portfolio as a Driver for Robotics in Public Spaces
Abstract
Objectives: Society keeps a highly ambivalent image of robots, characterized by fears of substitution. Interactions between humans and robots are diverse and often unpredictable, harboring safety risks associated with unclear legal frameworks, impeding the economic success of commercialization. The project "rokit", a competence cluster, started in 2022, aims for promoting and advancing mobile assistance robotics in public spaces by interdisciplinary solutions for given challenges. This empirical study develops a stakeholder-based service portfolio for the "rokit" cluster in the field of robotics in public spaces, supporting users and manufacturers for facing these challenges and promoting the sustainable success of public robotic solutions in the market.
Methodology: A qualitative semi-structured interview study was conducted with public robot manufacturers and users to analyze needs to a service portfolio for a cluster in the field of robotics in public spaces. A qualitative content analysis extracted the needs from the interview transcripts and a focus group concluded its core requirements to clearly structure the service portfolio of the cluster. The needs identified were categorized into the three business areas "Think Tank", "Living Lab", and "Consulting", pre-defined by the "rokit" cluster, to develop services according to stakeholder needs. The assignment of the needs to the expectedly affected sections of the value chain helped to identify the target group.
Results: The qualitative content analysis of the semi-structured interviews conducted with 6 users and 3 manufacturers resulted in 28 needs, which were clustered into 7 core requirements defined as functional safety, human-robot interaction, technology ethics, research methodology, feasibility studies, regulations, and certification. The analysis clarified that most of the identified needs could be categorized in the business area "Think Tank" followed by "Consulting" and "Living Lab". The value chain assignment showed that the users addressed rather the sections "Operations" and "Human Resources" while the manufacturers addressed rather “Marketing & Sales” and "Technology Development". Conclusion: Based on this analysis we conclude a strong need for interdisciplinary support to increase acceptance for robots in public spaces. The impact on the value chain implies support needs in different areas of a company with one specific focus on "Operations", depending on stakeholders.
Methodology: A qualitative semi-structured interview study was conducted with public robot manufacturers and users to analyze needs to a service portfolio for a cluster in the field of robotics in public spaces. A qualitative content analysis extracted the needs from the interview transcripts and a focus group concluded its core requirements to clearly structure the service portfolio of the cluster. The needs identified were categorized into the three business areas "Think Tank", "Living Lab", and "Consulting", pre-defined by the "rokit" cluster, to develop services according to stakeholder needs. The assignment of the needs to the expectedly affected sections of the value chain helped to identify the target group.
Results: The qualitative content analysis of the semi-structured interviews conducted with 6 users and 3 manufacturers resulted in 28 needs, which were clustered into 7 core requirements defined as functional safety, human-robot interaction, technology ethics, research methodology, feasibility studies, regulations, and certification. The analysis clarified that most of the identified needs could be categorized in the business area "Think Tank" followed by "Consulting" and "Living Lab". The value chain assignment showed that the users addressed rather the sections "Operations" and "Human Resources" while the manufacturers addressed rather “Marketing & Sales” and "Technology Development". Conclusion: Based on this analysis we conclude a strong need for interdisciplinary support to increase acceptance for robots in public spaces. The impact on the value chain implies support needs in different areas of a company with one specific focus on "Operations", depending on stakeholders.