Let Me Entertain You – A Quantitative Study on the Acceptance of Consumer Entertainment Robots

Abstract:
Robots have already, and will even more in the future, influence everybody’s lives. Whereas earlier robots mainly focused on industrial use cases, personal service robots, such as vacuum cleaners, become a standard in private homes. Entertainment robots for private use are another type of robot with a high future market potential. However, the success of a technology is always depending on its acceptance by the consumer. Consequently, this quantitative study aims to give insights on the acceptance of personal entertainment robots by consumers. Therefore, a questionnaire based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model was constructed and conducted with 207 individuals. It is identified that the final Use of entertainment robots is influenced by Attitude and the Intention to Use (ITU). Social Influence, Privacy and Perceived Enjoyment furthermore influence ITU. However, the acceptance for personal entertainment robots in general is currently low among potential users.