Classifying Service Robots in Commercial Places Based on Communication: Design Elements by Level of Communication

Service robots have been traditionally classified by technology and labor type. However, service robots communicate with human employees and consumers to collaborate and deliver service on the frontline. The purpose of this research was to propose a framework for classifying service robots used in commercial places based on the communication that is essential for collaboration and service delivery. The framework classifies service robots into six types, with the x-axis representing the level of communication and the y-axis representing the labor method that service robots use to provide services. Through the framework, the study explained 1) how the service robot and the employee communicate when they collaborate and 2) how the service robot and consumer communicate by communication levels. In addition, it identified the design elements needed for each section of the framework. This will help robot developers and designers consider design elements at different levels of communication when designing service robots in commercial places to enhance the experience of collaboration and service delivery. It is expected that communication will be considered important when developing service robots using the classification of service robots based on the framework proposed in this paper.