Development and Application of Breakdown T&BRL, a Novel Evaluation Framework for Social Implementation Assessment: A Case Study on Mobility Robot Devices

This study introduces Breakdown T&BRL, an advanced evaluation method that extends traditional technology readiness levels (TRL) by incorporating four additional axes: business readiness level (BRL), social readiness level (SRL), governance readiness level (GRL), and human resource readiness level (HRL). This approach subdivides TRL/BRL 5 to 7 demonstration stages to precisely identify barriers to real-world application. In addition, this approach integrates evaluations from both developers and independent third parties to highlight critical discrepancies and inform tailored roadmaps. This study applied Breakdown T&BRL to a case study on next-generation mobility robot device development within the Minami-Kurihashi bridge life platform (BLP) concept. The results of the case study demonstrated its effectiveness in pinpointing specific issues for social implementation, including the need for production-ready products and sustainable business models, while also proposing concrete countermeasures. The comparative analysis with previous Breakdown T&BRL case studies revealed unique trends for this mobility project. The TRL/BRL evaluation gap between developers and third parties was small, which can be attributed to consistent information sharing from extensive BLP events and demonstrations. Third-party SRL and GRL evaluations were notably high, which suggests that proactive stakeholder engagement through consortium operations and discussions with regulators significantly enhanced social acceptance and regulatory alignment for these mobility devices. These findings highlight how comprehensive engagement can notably influence technology’s successful path toward social implementation.