The Coming Age of Robots

Implications for Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategy

George Pettinico, George R. Milne

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781951527686
• eBook ISBN: 9781951527693
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Consumer Behaviour
• Index: Business

This book provides an in-depth look at how American consumers will react to the significant social, economic and marketplace changes that will be brought about by the robot revolution.

Over the next twenty years, the presence of robots will dramatically increase in our daily lives. Robots will serve as maids, gardeners, companions, waiters, security guards, nurses, teachers, playmates, receptionists, chauffeurs and prostitutes – to name only a few roles they will assume. These robots will be intelligent, autonomous, communicative, emotional, and continually progressing in their abilities.

This book provides an in-depth look at how American consumers will react to the significant social, economic and marketplace changes that will be brought about by the robot revolution. Our insights come from national surveys of over 2, 700 Americans, as well as a thorough review of existing academic research and expert predictions. We provide suggestions for publically-acceptable robot roles, robot design and the optimal marketplace approaches for successful human-robot interactions. Ready or not, it's coming. And sooner than you might think.

CHAPTER 1

The Dawning Robot Revolution

Robots will soon be everywhere.

—Hanson Robotics webpage (www.hansonrobotics.com)

Chapter Overview

A robot revolution is coming sooner than many of us think. This revolution will take place over the next two decades, when companies will deploy enormous numbers of human-interactive robots in a wide variety of consumer-facing roles. Robots will assume roles such as delivering room service in hotels, providing security in malls, assisting shoppers in stores, helping care for patients in hospitals, serving as sex workers, among thousands of other uses. Robots will also be sold to consumers to work in their homes as maids, gardeners, playmates for children, and companions for older adults. The very beginnings of the robot revolution have already started, though, to paraphrase an old expression, “We ain’t seen nothing yet.” Over the next two decades these robots will become increasingly intelligent and autonomous, driven by continuing advances in artificial intelligence. They will eventually be able to perform just about any task a person could do. The coming robot revolution will be unlike any other technological revolution the human race has yet experienced.

Defining Robots and the Current State of Affairs

As we complete this book in early 2020, humanity is at the cusp of a momentous robotics revolution. It is a revolution that will eventually impact just about every aspect of our lives. We can think of this as Phase Two of a transformative process that has already begun. Phase One, with roots going back to the 1970s, converted factories and warehouses from places that once teemed with human workers to environments that are now generally dominated by robotic devices that manufacture our products and move around our inventory. As significant as Phase One of the robotics revolution was, it will pale in comparison to the emerging Phase Two. Phase One took place generally behind the scenes, deep inside factories and warehouses. Phase Two of the robotics revolution will be far more dramatic, because this is when robots will: (a) become smarter and more interactive (driven by remarkable advances in artificial intelligence); and (b) occupy a closer proximity to us, moving into our homes, our schools, our hospitals, our communities, our white collar workplaces, our stores, our vacation destinations, pretty much everywhere we spend time. Over the next couple of decades, robots will make their way into our lives in increasingly large numbers and our world will never be the same again.

First, a definition—we define robots as intelligent devices that have a degree of self-direction. There are three important components to this definition (intelligent, devices and self-direction) worthy of further explanation. By intelligent we mean that they have some awareness of their surroundings, with the ability to continually learn and adapt so that they can interact with the world around them. With these capabilities, robots will walk up stairs, run down a crowded sidewalk without bumping into anything, and even drive fast-moving cars. For more advanced robots, this will include the ability to interact with humans—to recognize our voices and faces, to have substantive conversations with us, and to interpret our emotions. In this way, robots will act as pets, companions, and even friends. By devices we mean there is a physical presence, something to look at, touch, and feel. Finally, self-direction implies they have a degree of autonomy, meaning they can make their own decisions without anyone at their controls. They will be governed by self-learning, artificial-intelligence algorithms.

The process has already begun. Robots created as of early 2020 are fairly advanced in their intelligence and self-direction. Yet, they are infantile compared to what is to come in 5, 10, and certainly 20 years. Consider the following robots that are already among us:

• Large grocery store chains such as Giant Food and Stop and Shop have robots that cruise the aisles looking for spills and other hazards. Walmart recently bought 300 robots that can serve as janitors, autonomously cleaning their stores while shoppers are buzzing about all around them.
• Knightscope, Inc. has created a fleet of 4.5 to 6-foot tall rolling security robots (named K1, K3, K5, and K7) that patrol parking lots, office compounds, universities, and city streets. Resembling metallic cylinders with pointed tops, they navigate the terrain on their own, and use a complex set of video cameras, thermal imaging sensors, laser range finders, and radar to see better than a human could. They have visual technology that can recognize faces and read license plates, along with sensors to detect the presence of wireless devices. These (currently) unarmed robots were created to be on constant look out for crime or other anomalies and report it to human police and security. They have been referred to as a cuter, less aggressive Terminator (Williams 2013).
• Amazon has a prototype delivery robot named Scout, which looks like a large box on wheels, and which can navigate around our neighborhoods, move down sidewalks, and deliver packages right to our front doors. Rather than waving to your friendly UPS delivery person, soon you will get your packages from an autonomous robot.
• Indoor delivery is something robots can already do fairly well. Many hotels have robots that deliver room service. Some perform a small song and dance routine after delivery as their version of a “thank you.” Countless hospitals already have delivery robots that autonomously buzz about their floors delivering food and supplies.
• Current social robots can carry on conversations. Hilton Hotels has experimented with an interactive robot concierge named Connie, who can perform the basic functions of a hotel concierge (such as answer questions about what to do in the area and recom­mend good restaurants). A humanoid robot named Pepper, created by Softbank Robotics, has a cute and friendly face, and is able to recognize and react to human emotions. Pepper is only one of many robots currently sold or in development to serve as companion robots. Walker from UBTech is another. They have the ability to recognize faces, carry on conversations and, while still early in this technology, can interpret and respond to emotions.
• Self-driving cars are essentially car-shaped robots that think for themselves while interacting with a complex environment. Numerous car companies are currently investing heavily in this technology, with prototypes already on the road.
• Perhaps the closest thing we currently have to Rosie the robot maid (from the 1960s futuristic television show The Jetsons) is the Care-o-bot 4 from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. It can roll around the house on its own, retrieve objects with its hands and arms, and carry on a conversation with its human housemates. And its face conveniently turns into an interactive computer console when needed.
• Boston Dynamics has created robots that can run through the varied terrain of a forest or urban setting. Some of these are four legged and resemble large animals, while others are humanoid in shape, such as their Atlas Robot.
• A conversant, humanlike robot named Sophia, made by Hanson Robotics, has made the rounds of television shows having truly interactive conversations with TV show hosts. Sophia is considered among the most advanced robots ever made.

See Figure 1.1 for selected robots discussed in the preceding text.

See More Robots

Here we have provided URLs for additional images and videos of the robots mentioned in the preceding text:

• Grocery store robots: www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/a25896081/marty-giant-robot-grocery-stores/
• Walmart’s janitor robots: www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/a25428388/walmart-cleaning-robots/
• Amazon’s Scout delivery robot: www.wired.com/story/amazon-new-delivery-robot-scout
• Connie the robot concierge: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghbS-aTYw14
• Pepper the interactive robot: www.softbankrobotics.com/emea/en/pepper; www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZGSsLq28vY
• Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot: www.bostondynamics.com/atlas
• Sophia, the android robot: https://www.hansonrobotics.com/sophia/

Figure 1.1 Robots already among us

As these examples suggest, the robots being developed to interact with humans in our daily lives (commonly referred to as social robots) are coming in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some are only a couple of feet tall or less, some are human-sized, some are car-sized. Some are made to look more humanoid, while others retain a purely mechanical look. Some have a more cute appearance (large eyes, infantile look) while others have a more severe appearance (we would not want to encounter the Atlas robot in a dark alley).

Quick Look at What Is to Come

Experts predict that over the next couple of decades, social robots will become commonplace in advanced economies such as the United States, Europe, China, and Japan. They will become an integral part of just about every aspect of our lives (Smith and Anderson 2014). Some of the predictions supported by mainstream futurists include:

• In our homes: Many homes will have robotic servants that cook, clean, and garden. Current robotic vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers from iRobot are the start of this trend. However, in the near future they will evolve and be able to dust furniture, cook our meals, plant flowers—and change their task priorities based on our verbal commands or their own assessment of household needs. They may not, in the short term, be up to the level of The Jetsons’ robot maid Rosie, but things are moving in that direction. Beyond housekeeping, robots will also play with and babysit our children. Robots will also serve as companions for adults, particularly those who are disabled, elderly, or live alone. They will play games with us, converse with us, and never get tired of us complaining about our day (Rouhiainen 2018).
• In hotels and restaurants: Hotels will increasingly have robots to check us in, deliver our room service, and tell us about the best restaurants, bars, and night spots in town, as any quality concierge would. Restaurants will employ robotic hosts, wait staff, bartenders, and cooks. In the not-too-distant future, we might spend a weekend at a hotel and interact with very few, if any, human employees (Rigie 2018; Trejos 2016; Hospitality Technology 2017).
• In hospitals and senior centers: Hospitals will have robots that bring our food, help us bathe, draw our blood, administer medical exams, and even perform operations. In senior centers, robots will deliver daily care such as assistance for using the bathroom, as well as help with personal grooming and dressing. Robots will help seniors go for walks outside, and even assist them with errands around town. They will also serve as companions to the elderly and other homebound individuals by conversing with them, playing games, and listening to their life stories (Medical Futurist 2016, 2018; Moise 2018). Health care is a labor-intensive industry, with round-the-clock staffing needs. Hence, it is an industry investing significantly in robotic technology.
• In schools and daycare: Robots will assist teachers in the classroom, helping students in one-on-one and group settings. They may eventually become teachers themselves. As in a person’s home, in daycare, robots will serve as babysitters and playmates for children (Rouhiainen 2018).
• In our sex lives: Simplistic robotic sex dolls have already gained a following. In a few years, far more advanced robotic models capable of mobility and greater humanlike interactions will capture the attention of even more customers (Morris 2018). Surprising numbers of people, particularly men, express openness to this type of encounter (more on this later).
• In stores: Robots will help us find the products we are looking for while shopping in stores, and tell us if the pair of pants and shirts we want to buy matches—the latter being a service at least one of the authors would greatly appreciate. They will serve as cashiers, security guards, and potentially even as store managers (Matthews 2018).
• On our streets: Robotic vehicles will cruise our streets, driving us around and also driving our trucks and delivery vehicles (Rouhiainen 2018). They may eventually serve as crossing guards, traffic directors, and police officers.
• On the battlefield: Robots will work with soldiers in battle zones, searching for IEDs, clearing land mines and potentially even fighting enemies alongside, or in place of, human soldiers (Bachman 2018).

The list of how robots will interact with us in our daily lives is endless. As with any significant trend, these changes will not happen all at once. Some of these changes will come to fruition within 5 years, while other predictions may take 20 years or a bit longer. Some of the scenarios discussed in the foregoing text could be generations away. However, experts in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence believe this is the irreversible course that we are on, that robots will eventually have all these capabilities. There are tremendous economic, demographic, and social factors driving the increased usage of robots for all the tasks mentioned here.

That said, this will not be a straight line progression. There will be ups and downs in the production and usage of robots. Not every robot that is introduced to the market will be successful. Between 2017 and 2019, we have witnessed a string of social and at-home robot launches that have been failures due to lack of consumer demand (the Jibo, Kuri, and Cozmo robots to name a few—all of which will be discussed later in the book). For robots to be successful, they will have to prove their worth in the tasks they can do for us, or in the entertainment, social interaction, or personal fulfillment they provide.

Japan is on the cutting edge of the robotics revolution, due mainly to their aging society and lack of immigrants (Holodny 2016). Simply put, the Japanese need robots to perform many of their daily tasks because with each passing year they have fewer working-age humans to do them. In the United States, we can expect to see the incorporation of home-based robots first in the homes of wealthier members of society, most likely starting with Silicon Valley “techno-elites” and spreading to early adopters of technology in major metro areas. Robots will eventually filter down into the homes of middle class Americans, as prices are reduced. Before that, the average American will likely first encounter human-interactive robots in institutions such as hospitals, hotels, office buildings, and large stores.

A robot revolution is dawning; a revolution that will put intelligent and autonomous robots in close proximity with humans. Hence, now is the appropriate time to ask: How will people react to this significant social change—a change of the kind that has never before faced humanity? We approach these questions from a consumer point of view. It is in their role as consumers that individuals will decide whether or not they want to buy robots to assist them in their homes, and what tasks they do and do not want robots to do in their lives. It is in their role as consumers that ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1 The Dawning Robot Revolution
• Chapter 2 Robot Exposure: In the Media and In Our Midst
• Chapter 3 Hopes and Fears about the Robot Future
• Chapter 4 Acceptable Robot Roles: At Home, in the Community, at the Store
• Chapter 5 Take Two Robots and Call Me in the Morning: Robots in Health Care
• Chapter 6 Reaction to Robot Design: Cute, Creepy, and Everything in Between
• Chapter 7 Human-Robot Interactions: Will You Become BFFs with a Robot?
• Chapter 8 Robot Manufacturers: Profiles and Plans
• Chapter 9 A Brave New Robot World: Implications for the Marketplace
• Appendix A: Studies Conducted by Authors
• Appendix B: Sources for Current Robot Capabilities
• Reference
• About the Authors
• Index