Analysis: despite the challenges and potential pitfalls, the possibility of a social robot working in your local may be closer than you think
You may have noticed that more and more stories about social robots have appeared over the last decade. During the Covid-19 pandemic, robots were applied in different areas to help people because they were safe and convenient. In hospitals, for example, Moxi, a social delivery robot, can deliver medication, supplies or lab samples. In nursing, a social robot can care for old people: for example, a robot called Pepper helped patients with dementia. We've even seen robots assist staff to deliver food in restaurants, such as Balla who is working in Dublin's Senbazuru Izakaya.
Moreover, social robots can always attract the attention of children as they are less intimidating. Thus, it is beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorders to learn better. The social robot called QTrobot can help those children to engage in social interaction, reduce anxiety and disruptive behaviours. As a result, people gradually accept that robots are involved in their daily life and also enjoy the robots' services and help.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, Brian O'Connell reports on how automation is changing the way we live and work
In James Joyce's classic novel Ulysses, he writes that a "good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub". This conundrum has fascinated the city’s literary visitors for years and pubs are a symbol of Ireland abroad. Indeed, going to the pub is still one of the top choices in many Irish people's social life, while visiting pubs and enjoying the local pub atmosphere is also on the list for the most tourists.
But there are some problems with this popularity. A shortage of workers means the customer experience is not what it used to be, especially during peak pub hours. Many find they’re waiting a long time to get even just one drink and it can be hard to get menus or find a seat easily.
So what about a social robot working in Irish pubs? Imagine one greeting you with a typical Irish accent when you enter a pub. Would you be surprised? Would you like them to serve you? Research has showed that some people showed more interest if a robot works in the Irish pubs, whereas others prefer to socialise with human pub staff rather than a robot. Several people mentioned that they hope the robot can help them to get pints or cocktails more quickly.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, Mike McCartney meets Bella, the robotic waitress with attitude at Nevin's Newfield Inn, Newport, Co Mayo
What are the functionalities of a social robot working in pubs? For robot designers and social scientists, it's about anthropomorphism and applying human-like attributes to the robot. Compared to other public places, Irish pubs are mainly for adults not for children, so the design of the robot’s appearance must take that into account. The kinds of robots which are most likely to be acceptable and suitable must be considered. For example, humanlike or humanoid robots (robots that mimic human appearance) are the most popular design in the field of social robotics.
Then, there is the social robot’s behaviour. We need to consider the culture, personality and context which would impact the social robots’ behaviours and use these in the design process. More specifically, the social robot’s speech should have a sense of Irish humour and an Irish accent and the body language would be more vivid and natural.
Using artificial intelligence, the social robot can generate the correct emotional expressions in a social context, and also can detect customers’ emotion from people’s facial expression, eye-gaze and body language. If the robot detects negative emotion from a customer or that they need help, the robot will start the conversation, and provide a specific service based on customers’ requirements. Do they need a table or a menu or more information on the pub's music or entertainment?
Trust is also important: will both customers and pub owners be comfortable with social robots working in the bar?
Apart from such basic functionalities as delivery, making cocktails, taking an order and accepting payment of a bill, the robot may also be required to estimate if a customer could be drunk and remind or persuade them in a friendly way to control their alcohol intake. Moreover, the robot can detect the age of customers exactly, and reject the sale of alcohol to customers under the legal drinking age.
There are lots of advantages for social robots in the pub, but there are challenges which should not be ignored. Compared to other public places, many Irish pubs are located in older buildings, where the environment is more relaxed and people are free to sit or stand anywhere. In these cases, it's a challenge for the social robot to move around easily, as well as keep a certain safety-distance from people.
Data privacy presents another issue, as the robot may collect customer data and payment details by camera, microphone or sensor. Keeping this data secure and letting customers know about how to deal with their data are inevitable difficulties. Trust is also important: will both customers and pub owners be comfortable with social robots working in the bar?
Designing a trustworthy and acceptable social robot is still a medium to long term plan in the field of human-robot interaction. Future research and AI technology will focus on studies that see the social robot endowed with the full spectrum of capabilities and, to advance the human-robot interaction fields, also providing evidence on the current technology readiness level for the real world to let more people use the social robot for their life better. So what do you think? Want to try to get a pint from that high-tech social robot by the door instead of the crush at the bar?
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
