Technology developments create rich opportunities for health service providers to introduce service robots in health care. While the potential benefits of applying robots in health care are extensive, the research into the conceptions of health service robot and its importance for the uptake of robotics technology in health care is limited. This article develops a model of the basic conceptions of health service robots that can be used to understand different assumptions and values attached to health care technology in general and health service robots in particular.The article takes a discursive approach in order to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the social values of health service robots. First a discursive approach is proposed to develop a typology of conceptions of health service robots. Second, a model identifying four basic conceptions of health service robots is developed. The model is anchored in literature on technology uptake and people-technology interaction. It consists of two dimensions: The first dimension is based on service values, and the second dimension concerns the nature of the service demands. Since service robots involve both dimensions, by crossing the two dimensions we identify four basic conceptions of health service robots, conceptualizing health service robots as critical, practical, desirable or affectionate, respectively.The article concludes with an outline of managerial concerns and points of departure for future research.Keywords: Service robot uptake, discourse analysis, typology, managerial implications
Christian Tang Lystbæk (Thu,) studied this question.