Automation with Robots in the Home

What is it about?

Domestic robots such as vacuum cleaners or lawnmowers are becoming popular consumer products in private homes, but while current HCI research on domestic robots has highlighted for example personalisation, long-term effects, or design guidelines, little attention has been paid to automation. To address this, we conducted a qualitative study with 24 participants in private households using interviews, contextual technology tours, and robot deployment. Through thematic analysis we identified three themes related to 1) work routines and automation, 2) domestic robot automation and the physical environment, as well as 3) interaction and breakdown intervention. We present an empirical understanding of how task automation using domestic robots can be implemented in the home. Lastly, we discuss our findings in relation to existing literature and highlight three opportunities for improved task automation using domestic robots for future research.

Featured Image

Photo by YoonJae Baik on Unsplash

Photo by YoonJae Baik on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings show that the automation of tasks in the home using robots is not, contrasting user expectations, a plug-and-play process. It requires a change of user behaviour, the adaption of the physical environment for increased robot inclusiveness, and the extension of digital infrastructure.