Design for Human-Robot Acceptability: The Case of Edutainment Robotics for Children

This article presents a reflection about the concept of acceptability and its role in the field of human-robot interaction. Multiple acceptability models and case studies were taken into account to understand how this theme is currently addressed. Two main aspects emerge. On one hand, the main acceptability factors are usually addressed separately. On the other hand, the concept of acceptability is generally addressed in the evaluation stage of the projects. However, developing acceptable robotic solutions requires to take into account these factors as design drivers, during the whole design process. Thus, an acceptability driven approach was proposed and applied during the Robot & Gaming project, in which edutainment robots were used to design play experiences for children.