Do we want to share our lives and bodies with robots? A 2000 people survey

For roughly two decades a new generation of robots, robotic prostheses and implantable devices is about to arise accompanied by great optimism that they will widely pervade our daily life in a near future. This paper presents the results from a survey on the question if people want to share their life and body with robots. The survey, carried out in connection with the Robotics exhibition at the Swiss National Exhibition Expo.02, counts over 2000 participants. The questionnaire covers issues on robotics in general, service and personal robots, robotic prostheses and artificial organs. While the results testify a positive attitude towards potential robotic co-workers, flat-mates or body part, they include a number of surprising answers. We find correlations in the data, discuss interpretations, speculate about the answers and cultural influences and finally conclude: Whom are we building robots for and what should they be like? To whom are we selling robots and how should we market them

May direct-to-consumer genetic testing have an impact on general practitioners' daily practice? a cross-sectional study of patients' intentions towards this approach.

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) offers individuals access to information on their probable risks of suffering from a wide range of chronic diseases. General practitioners (GPs) will probably play a major role in supporting its use, but patients' perception of DTCGT remain unclear. This study aimed to describe those attitudes and expectations and how they might affect GPs' daily practices. In 2018-2019, a study related to the use of DTCGT for preventive care in general medicine was conducted among patients in Switzerland's French-speaking areas. Data were collected in the waiting room using a self-administrated questionnaire about patients' interest in DTCGT and what their attitudes might be if testing revealed an elevated risk of diabetes, colorectal cancer, or Alzheimer's disease. About 40% of the 929 participating (participation rate about 80%) patients had heard about DTCGT and, once the test had been explained, 43% reported that they would be interested in being tested. If that testing suggested an elevated risk of disease, the majority of patients reported that they would change their lifestyle (65%-81%, depending on the disease), request more examinations (63%-77%), and expect changes in their GP's follow-up (48%-59%). Personal characteristics such as sex, age, urbanity, marital status, and perceived health were factors predictive of patients' attitudes. Findings indicated that the generalization of DTCGT might affect GPs' daily practices in terms of workload and knowledge about this approach. However, this result must be qualified by the fact that it is based on hypothetical situations