This article highlights the thus far unexplained social and professional effects raised by robotization in surgical applications, and further develops an understanding of social acceptance among professional users of robots in the healthcare sector. It presents findings from ethnographic workplace research on human-robot interactions (HRI) in a population of twenty-three professionals. When considering all the findings, the latest da Vinci system equipped with four robotic arms substitutes two table-side surgical assistants, in contrast to the single-arm AESOP robot that only substitutes one surgical assistant. The adoption of robots and the replacement of surgical assistants provide clear evidence that robots are well-accepted among operating surgeons. Because HRI decrease the operating surgeon's dependence on social assistance and since they replace the work tasks of surgical assistants, the robot is considered a surrogate artificial work partner and worker. This finding is consistent with prior HRI research indicating that users, through their cooperation with robots, often become less reliant on supportive social actions. This research relates to societal issues and provides the first indication that highly educated knowledge workers are beginning to be replaced by robot technology in working life and therefore points towards a paradigm shift in the service sector.
a aAbstractThis paper explores social, psychological and technological impacts of surgical robot applications in health care environments. The introduction of novel medical and surgical robot technologies is changing the practice of medicine. The aim is to analyze how technological, social and psychological factors mutually affect person-friendly robot interaction, including the major determinants of utility, usability, and acceptability. The empirical inquiry consists of a qualitative case study of professional clinicians in two medical departments that have been studied through interviews, observations and examination of written records. As the study shows, interfaces of surgical robots should harmonize to the characteristics of human users. The appropriate allocation of tasks and capabilities between the robot, the surgeon, assistant surgeons and other members in the operation team proves to be a dilemma. The design of separate approaches to the social and technical systems of HRI is not sufficient. Instead, the proper technology is the one that best fits the entire situation.
Optimal integrated design is potentially the most significant consequence of recent advances in service robotic technologies, enabling novel organizational forms to evolve. This paper provides a broad vision of the advent of a novel multidisciplinary organizational function in the manufacturing and service sectors. Socio-technical management means an appreciation of the interplay among technology, economic issues and human factors. This allows an extended range of economic feasibility for robotic applications that also enables a more humane work organization. Contemporary trends are reviewed. Anticipated changes in operation and work organization are discussed, indicating a new robotic era.
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