The Effect of Adding Japanese Honorifics When Naming a Driving-Review Robot

In Japan, the percentage of traffic fatalities involving individuals aged 65 years and older is higher than that of other age groups. This issue can be addressed by having elderly individuals reflect upon their driving habits. Currently, this involves repeatedly attending training sessions at driving schools, which can be challenging due to time and location constraints. Hence, we develop a driving-review robot that allows elderly people to self-assess their driving skills in their homes. In developing this robot, we identified two crucial factors: “support continuity,” which relates to the extent to which individuals use the robot over an extended period, and “support acceptability,” which measures the willingness of users to accept advice from the robot. Both factors are assumed to be influenced by the attachment and connection felt by individuals toward the robot. Previous studies suggest that attachment can be enhanced via voluntary naming of the robot. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between naming a drive-reviewing robot and its effect on support continuity and acceptance, as well as its effect on improving driving behavior via multiple instances of self-assessment. The results suggest that the presence and type of honorifics used during the naming process can affect individuals’ impressions of the robot. Furthermore, naming the robot with Japanese honorifics such as “-kun” or “-chan” and engaging in repeated driving self-assessment sessions may enhance support continuity and potentially increase the time spent on verifying the surroundings during driving, thus improving driving behavior.