Exploring Barriers and Enablers for the Intention to Use Assistive Robotics Among People With Spinal Cord Injury and Those Involved in Their Care: Qualitative Study

Rather than presenting assistive robotics as an inevitable progression toward greater autonomy, this study highlights the complexities and contingencies that shape how individuals relate to assistive robotics in general and supernumerary robotic limbs in particular. Participants' responses illustrate that robotic assistance is not merely a question of technological feasibility but is deeply entangled with embodied experiences, shifting identities, and evolving social relations. While visions of independence through assistive robotics remain compelling among participants, sociotechnical imaginaries coexist with concerns about meaningful engagement, reliability, safety, competence, and social norms, as well as challenges related to transition periods, costs, and limited awareness and access to assistive robotics.