A systematic literature review on robot design in Korea : Focusing on commerce types, user age groups, and HRI components

Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method, this study analyzes trends in robot design by reviewing 60 academic papers published in South Korea for the past 5 years, between 2021 and 2025, focusing on commerce types, user age groups, and components of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). The findings indicate that robot design research across various commerce categories has been expanding toward emotional user experiences and customized services. In terms of user age groups, children have been primarily associated with educational applications, young adults with digitally integrated experiences, and older adults with emotional interaction and intuitive usability. Regarding HRI components, studies emphasizes that design elements such as physical appearance, motion, and non-physical factors are increasingly geared toward enhancing human-centered interaction, thereby underscoring the growing significance of emotional functionality in robot design.