What Drives Acceptance of Occupational Exoskeletons? Focus Group Insights from Workers in Food Retail and Corporate Logistics

Abstract

The potential of occupational exoskeletons can only be realized if workers are willing to wear them on their bodies. As classical technology acceptance theories originate in research into information technology, they do not sufficiently cover the peculiarities of exoskeletons, and thus greater focus is needed on factors that specifically shape intentions to use them. Involving three companies from food retail and logistics, we conducted guided focus groups with 18 workers who perform material handling tasks in their daily work. Participants discussed the envisioned benefits, risks, and conditions related to the adoption of exoskeletons. Consistent with established technology acceptance models, performance-related and effort-related factors were found to be highly recognized. Participants also highlighted factors such as wellbeing, fairness, and the altered physical appearance of wearers, which was considered important in social contexts at work. Complementing established factors with new exoskeleton-specific determinants, our results are a valuable starting point for further exoskeleton user studies.

Acknowledgments

We thank Anna Katharina Paschmanns for her contribution to discussions about coding and category building, and Prof. Dr. Nicole Kronberger, who supported this work with her expertise in qualitative research methods. Open Access funding provided by Johannes Kepler University Linz.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft) under grant numbers 861519 and 880563.

Notes on contributors

Sandra Maria Siedl

Sandra Maria Siedl is a PhD student in Psychology at Johannes Kepler University Linz and received her master’s degree in Business Administration and Psychology at the Ferdinand Porsche FernFH, Austria, in 2016.

Martina Mara

Martina Mara is a Professor in Robopsychology at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, who obtained her PhD in Psychology at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany, in 2014.