A New Family Member? The Intentional Acceptance of a Social Robot in the Home

Due to the emergence of aging population and family-work conflict, numerous home technologies are developed to help improve family routines. A domestic social robot is getting more attention, but the influence of personal characteristics and cognitive perceptions from home members’ perspective is seldom discussed. Drawn upon the theory of technology acceptance model and personal innovativeness, this study develop an integrated model to explore the factors related to home members’ intentional acceptance of domestic social robots. The results reveal that individuals’ perception of usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment are significant factors influencing their attitudes toward the use of social robots at home. Personal innovativeness is also identified as a critical factor affecting appraisals of robot assistance in household routines and companionship.