Robots in Service and Nursing Care - An Investigation into Japan’s Robot Use and Development

Postponed access: the file will be accessible after 2020-11-30We are currently seeing a rapid growth in the investment and development of robots to assist or replace human workers and efforts in many aspects of life. Due to Japan’s proportionally large and growing elderly population along with a shrinking workforce, the Japanese government has chosen to promote the research, development, and use of robots in fields such as nursing care. Other countries are also facing the same problems as Japan but have not chosen to promote the alternative futuristic solution to the same extent. In a pursuit to better understand the impact that robots already have and will have on society and everyday life, we have researched the topic of assistive robots in the service and nursing care context. Through a design science framework and mixed methods approach, performing semi-structured interviews with robot developers, professors in robotics and nursing care staff, observations on the use of robots in real-life settings, case studies, and one experiment, we have developed a comprehensive analysis and understanding of the research problem. To analyze the data, content analysis and the grounded theory were used. An experiment and two case studies were used to investigate attitudes, perceived benefits, and disadvantages of using robots. Furthermore, interviews and observations were conducted at nursing care facilities to investigate the possibility of assisting or even substituting humans with robots in settings that usually require a sense of human warmth and care. Previous research often focusses on individual robots or on literature review without field data. It would seem like the literature is lacking a deeper perspective, while at the same time, painting a wider picture of the domain itself. Therefore, this research investigated the development and experiences with robots that already exist and have been tested in real-world settings. The findings of the study summarized the literature on robots in nursing care, attitudes towards robots across countries and Japan’s strategy for further integrating robots into their society. Other results include real experience with the use of robots in nursing facilities and theories grounded in the ideas and thoughts behind the development of robots commonly used today. An experiment exploring empathy towards robots demonstrated the distinctiveness of robots, as compared to dolls, in enhanced empathy towards them. Two case studies captured views from university students and primary school pupils based on interaction with the humanoid robot Pepper. Pupils found Pepper to be useful and likable, while university students found the interaction to be fun, but frustrating at times. Based on the field studies, we could conclude that Japanese robot developers and researches recommend robots to be inferior to users in terms of intelligence and relationship, but also capable of easy interaction and ideally reading between lines in communication. In nursing care, robots are currently taking the role of pets (Paro and Qoobo), a child (Pepper, Paro, PALRO, RoBoHon, and Smibi) and even as a staff member (Pepper), capable of entertaining and accompanying elderly to help with mental well-being. There might be a current lack of ethical and safety standards for such robots. However, safety and ethical issues are considered by developers and professors in terms of privacy, deception, attachment, mechanical safety. Current robots have different levels of cognitive capacities depending on purpose and interaction style. Goals for the future include improvement in aspects such as intelligence, marketing strategies, and educating users on robots’ capabilities and limitations.Masteroppgave i informasjonsvitenskapINFO390MASV-IKTMASV-INF

Forskningsetiske retningslinjer for samfunnsvitenskap og humaniora

Den nasjonale forskningsetiske komité for samfunnsvitenskap og humaniora (NESH) er et uavhengig og rådgivende organ, som har ansvar for å utarbeide nasjonale forskningsetiske retningslinjer. Den første utgaven av NESHs retningslinjer ble utgitt i 1993, og de har kommet i reviderte utgaver i 1999, 2006 og 2016. For mer om NESH og retningslinjene, se vedlegg. I denne utgaven har NESH valgt å fremheve og tydeliggjøre de grunnleggende forskningsetiske normene. Formålet er å fremheve NESHs retningslinjer som en selvstendig kilde til forskningsetisk refleksjon og kontinuering diskusjon i forskerfellesskapet. NESH har også presisert hvordan forskning i økende grad er under press, og hvordan ulike aktører som oppdragsgivere, finansiører og samarbeidspartnere har medansvar for å ivareta forskningsetikken. Videre er skillet mellom etikk og juss presisert for å tydeliggjøre grenseflatene mot henholdsvis gransking av vitenskapelig uredelighet og krav om rettsgrunnlag ved behandling av personopplysninger. Høsten 2020 ble det reviderte utkastet til nasjonale retningslinjer sendt på høring. NESH mottok over 60 innspill fra forskere, forskningsinstitusjoner og andre forskningsaktører. En arbeidsgruppe bestående av Elisabeth Staksrud (leder), Ivar Kolstad (nestleder) og Vidar Enebakk (sekretariatsleder) har gått gjennom alle innspill og utarbeidet forslag, som er grundig drøftet og vedtatt av alle medlemmene i komiteen.publishedVersio

Китаб Ибрагима Хосеневича из коллекции Национальной библиотеки Республики Беларусь как исторический источник : реферат к дипломной работе / Инна Чеславовна Кевра; БГУ, Исторический факультет, Кафедра источниковедения; науч. рук. Белявский А.М.

The construct of individualism–collectivism (IND-COL) has become the definitive standard in cross-cultural psychology, management, and related fields. It is also among the most controversial, in particular, with regard to the ambiguity of its dimensionality: Some view IND and COL as the opposites of a single continuum, whereas others argue that the two are independent constructs. We explored the issue through seven different tests using original individual-level data from 50 studies and meta-analytic data from 149 empirical publications yielding a total of 295 sample-level observations that were collected using six established instruments for assessing IND and COL as separate constructs. Results indicated that the dimensionality of IND-COL may depend on (a) the specific instrument used to collect the data, (b) the sample characteristics and the cultural region from which the data were collected, and (c) the level of analysis. We also review inconsistencies, deficiencies, and challenges of conceptualizing IND-COL and provide guidelines for developing and selecting instruments for measuring the construct, and for reporting and meta-analyzing results from this line of research

Robots in Service and Nursing Care - An Investigation into Japan’s Robot Use and Development

We are currently seeing a rapid growth in the investment and development of robots to assist or replace human workers and efforts in many aspects of life. Due to Japan’s proportionally large and growing elderly population along with a shrinking workforce, the Japanese government has chosen to promote the research, development, and use of robots in fields such as nursing care. Other countries are also facing the same problems as Japan but have not chosen to promote the alternative futuristic solution to the same extent. In a pursuit to better understand the impact that robots already have and will have on society and everyday life, we have researched the topic of assistive robots in the service and nursing care context. Through a design science framework and mixed methods approach, performing semi-structured interviews with robot developers, professors in robotics and nursing care staff, observations on the use of robots in real-life settings, case studies, and one experiment, we have developed a comprehensive analysis and understanding of the research problem. To analyze the data, content analysis and the grounded theory were used. An experiment and two case studies were used to investigate attitudes, perceived benefits, and disadvantages of using robots. Furthermore, interviews and observations were conducted at nursing care facilities to investigate the possibility of assisting or even substituting humans with robots in settings that usually require a sense of human warmth and care. Previous research often focusses on individual robots or on literature review without field data. It would seem like the literature is lacking a deeper perspective, while at the same time, painting a wider picture of the domain itself. Therefore, this research investigated the development and experiences with robots that already exist and have been tested in real-world settings. The findings of the study summarized the literature on robots in nursing care, attitudes towards robots across countries and Japan’s strategy for further integrating robots into their society. Other results include real experience with the use of robots in nursing facilities and theories grounded in the ideas and thoughts behind the development of robots commonly used today. An experiment exploring empathy towards robots demonstrated the distinctiveness of robots, as compared to dolls, in enhanced empathy towards them. Two case studies captured views from university students and primary school pupils based on interaction with the humanoid robot Pepper. Pupils found Pepper to be useful and likable, while university students found the interaction to be fun, but frustrating at times. Based on the field studies, we could conclude that Japanese robot developers and researches recommend robots to be inferior to users in terms of intelligence and relationship, but also capable of easy interaction and ideally reading between lines in communication. In nursing care, robots are currently taking the role of pets (Paro and Qoobo), a child (Pepper, Paro, PALRO, RoBoHon, and Smibi) and even as a staff member (Pepper), capable of entertaining and accompanying elderly to help with mental well-being. There might be a current lack of ethical and safety standards for such robots. However, safety and ethical issues are considered by developers and professors in terms of privacy, deception, attachment, mechanical safety. Current robots have different levels of cognitive capacities depending on purpose and interaction style. Goals for the future include improvement in aspects such as intelligence, marketing strategies, and educating users on robots’ capabilities and limitations

Integrating Socially Assistive Robots into Japanese Nursing Care

This paper presents experiences of integrating assistive robots in Japanese nursing care through semi-structured interviews and site observations at three nursing homes in Japan during the spring of 2019. The study looked at experiences with the robots Paro, Pepper, and Qoobo. The goal was to investigate and evaluate the current state of using robots in the nursing care context, firsthand experiences with intended and real use, as well as response from the elderly and nursing staff. The qualitative analysis results pointed out user satisfaction, adjusted purpose, therapeutic and entertaining effects. Potentials of robots to assist in elderly care is advantageous. Limitations currently relate to the lack of ways to fully utilized and integrate robots

Integrating Socially Assistive Robots into Japanese Nursing Care

This paper presents experiences of integrating assistive robots in Japanese nursing care through semi-structured interviews and site observations at three nursing homes in Japan during the year 2019. The study looked at experiences with the robots Paro, Pepper, and Qoobo. The goal was to investigate and evaluate the current state of using robots within the nursing care context, which involved: firsthand experiences with intended and real users; and response from the elderly, and nursing staff. The qualitative analysis results pointed out user satisfaction, adjusted purpose, therapeutic and entertaining effects. The potentials of using robots to assist in elderly care has been evident. Limitations currently relate to the lack of ways to fully utilize and integrate robots

Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition – a methodological pilot for four terrestrial ecosystems in Trøndelag

Jepsen, J.U., Speed, J.D.M., Austrheim, G., Rusch, G., Petersen, T.K., Asplund, J., Bjerke, J.W., Bjune, A.E., Eide, N.E., Herfindal, I., Ims, R.A., Israelsen, M.F., Kapfer, J., Kolstad, A.L., Nordén, J., Sandercock, B., Stien, J., Tveito, O.E., Yoccoz, N.G. 2022. Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition – a methodological pilot for four terrestrial ecosystems in Trøndelag. NINA Report 2094. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The panel-based assessment of ecosystem condition (PAEC) is an evidence-based approach to assess the condition of Norwegian ecosystems. The assessment is carried out by an expert panel with broad expertise in the ecosystems to be assessed and is inspired by approaches used in international assessments such as IPCC and IPBES. The assessment follows an earlier developed protocol. In this report, PAEC is piloted for major terrestrial ecosystems in the county of Trøndelag; forest, alpine, open-lowlands, and wetlands. For each ecosystem, a list of indicators of change in ecosystem condition in response to anthropogenic drivers is developed. The indicators fall within seven main ecosystem characteristics: primary production, biomass distribution among trophic levels, functional groups within trophic levels, functionally important species, biological diversity, landscape ecological patterns, and abiotic factors. The expected change in indicators in response to anthropogenic drivers are termed phenomena, and their selection is based on published literature, including reference to the confidence of a change being observed in response to anthropogenic drivers and the mechanism leading to a deterioration in ecosystem state. Datasets to quantify each indicator are identified and collated and the quality of each dataset is assessed in terms of its spatial and temporal appropriateness. In the first assessment step, the validity (VP) of each phenomenon is scored and used to infer confidence in the causal relationship between changes in the indicator and anthropogenic drivers. The next step is an evaluation of the biological and statistical significance of the evidence for the occurrence of each phenomenon, termed evidence (EP) of the phenomenon. The third step is a consolidated assessment of the ecological state based on the associated indicators and phenomena, first for each ecosystem characteristic, and subsequently for the ecosystem as a whole. The assessment is based on the validity, the quality of the evidence, and the data quality for each phenomenon. This provides a qualitative assessment of deviation from the reference condition of “no deviation”, “limited deviation” or “substantial deviation”. The assessments are each supported by narrative accounts. The pilot assessment involved analysis of 24 datasets documenting 41 indicators. Several indicators were included in multiple ecosystems. In total there were 27 indicators used for forest ecosystems, 24 for alpine ecosystems, and 16 in each of wetlands and open lowlands. In the forest ecosystems, substantial deviation from the reference condition was identified for five of the ecosystem characteristics. The two exceptions were primary productivity where there was a limited deviation from the reference condition, and biological diversity where there was no deviation from the reference condition (but the latter was based on a single indicator and hence an entirely inadequate indicator coverage). The deviations were found primarily in climatic variables, cervids and their forage and predators, and dead wood. Overall, the forest ecosystem was assessed as having a substantial deviation from the reference condition. In the alpine ecosystems, substantial deviation from the reference condition was identified for the abiotic ecosystem characteristic, largely attributed to indicators associated with temperature, seasonality, and snow. Limited deviation from the reference condition was assessed for functionally important species and primary productivity (both based on a partially adequate indicator coverage) and for biological diversity, functional groups within trophic levels and landscape ecological patterns (but these were based on an inadequate indicator coverage). For the ecosystem characteristic biomass distribution among trophic levels, the quality of evidence was insufficient to conclude regarding the condition of the single indicator involved, and no overall assessment of this ecosystem characteristic could be undertaken. Overall, the alpine ecosystem was assessed as having limited deviation from the reference condition. For both open lowland and wetland ecosystems, several ecosystem characteristics were not assessed due to a lack of relevant indicator datasets. For this reason, no overall assessment of the ecosystems as a whole could be undertaken. However, for both ecosystems, there was a substantial deviation from the reference condition for abiotic factors (temperature, seasonality, and snow). In open lowlands, there was a substantial deviation in functionally important species (ungulates) and limited deviation in primary productivity and biological diversity. In wetlands, there was a limited deviation from the reference condition in primary productivity, biological diversity, and landscape ecological patterns. Most challenges encountered during this pilot assessment related to the inadequacy of the datasets for assessing ecosystem condition. Reasons behind this include that ecosystem extents are not adequately mapped, particularly those characterised by small and fragmented patches, and a taxonomic or geographical limitation of datasets and environmental monitoring. The report suggests further development of indicators for operational application. Finally, the report also suggests knowledge needs and prioritisation for further research to support the future implementation of ecosystem assessments in Norway

Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition – a methodological pilot for four terrestrial ecosystems in Trøndelag

Jepsen, J.U., Speed, J.D.M., Austrheim, G., Rusch, G., Petersen, T.K., Asplund, J., Bjerke, J.W., Bjune, A.E., Eide, N.E., Herfindal, I., Ims, R.A., Israelsen, M.F., Kapfer, J., Kolstad, A.L., Nordén, J., Sandercock, B., Stien, J., Tveito, O.E., Yoccoz, N.G. 2022. Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition – a methodological pilot for four terrestrial ecosystems in Trøndelag. NINA Report 2094. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The panel-based assessment of ecosystem condition (PAEC) is an evidence-based approach to assess the condition of Norwegian ecosystems. The assessment is carried out by an expert panel with broad expertise in the ecosystems to be assessed and is inspired by approaches used in international assessments such as IPCC and IPBES. The assessment follows an earlier developed protocol. In this report, PAEC is piloted for major terrestrial ecosystems in the county of Trøndelag; forest, alpine, open-lowlands, and wetlands. For each ecosystem, a list of indicators of change in ecosystem condition in response to anthropogenic drivers is developed. The indicators fall within seven main ecosystem characteristics: primary production, biomass distribution among trophic levels, functional groups within trophic levels, functionally important species, biological diversity, landscape ecological patterns, and abiotic factors. The expected change in indicators in response to anthropogenic drivers are termed phenomena, and their selection is based on published literature, including reference to the confidence of a change being observed in response to anthropogenic drivers and the mechanism leading to a deterioration in ecosystem state. Datasets to quantify each indicator are identified and collated and the quality of each dataset is assessed in terms of its spatial and temporal appropriateness. In the first assessment step, the validity (VP) of each phenomenon is scored and used to infer confidence in the causal relationship between changes in the indicator and anthropogenic drivers. The next step is an evaluation of the biological and statistical significance of the evidence for the occurrence of each phenomenon, termed evidence (EP) of the phenomenon. The third step is a consolidated assessment of the ecological state based on the associated indicators and phenomena, first for each ecosystem characteristic, and subsequently for the ecosystem as a whole. The assessment is based on the validity, the quality of the evidence, and the data quality for each phenomenon. This provides a qualitative assessment of deviation from the reference condition of “no deviation”, “limited deviation” or “substantial deviation”. The assessments are each supported by narrative accounts. The pilot assessment involved analysis of 24 datasets documenting 41 indicators. Several indicators were included in multiple ecosystems. In total there were 27 indicators used for forest ecosystems, 24 for alpine ecosystems, and 16 in each of wetlands and open lowlands. In the forest ecosystems, substantial deviation from the reference condition was identified for five of the ecosystem characteristics. The two exceptions were primary productivity where there was a limited deviation from the reference condition, and biological diversity where there was no deviation from the reference condition (but the latter was based on a single indicator and hence an entirely inadequate indicator coverage). The deviations were found primarily in climatic variables, cervids and their forage and predators, and dead wood. Overall, the forest ecosystem was assessed as having a substantial deviation from the reference condition. In the alpine ecosystems, substantial deviation from the reference condition was identified for the abiotic ecosystem characteristic, largely attributed to indicators associated with temperature, seasonality, and snow. Limited deviation from the reference condition was assessed for functionally important species and primary productivity (both based on a partially adequate indicator coverage) and for biological diversity, functional groups within trophic levels and landscape ecological patterns (but these were based on an inadequate indicator coverage). For the ecosystem characteristic biomass distribution among trophic levels, the quality of evidence was insufficient to conclude regarding the condition of the single indicator involved, and no overall assessment of this ecosystem characteristic could be undertaken. Overall, the alpine ecosystem was assessed as having limited deviation from the reference condition. For both open lowland and wetland ecosystems, several ecosystem characteristics were not assessed due to a lack of relevant indicator datasets. For this reason, no overall assessment of the ecosystems as a whole could be undertaken. However, for both ecosystems, there was a substantial deviation from the reference condition for abiotic factors (temperature, seasonality, and snow). In open lowlands, there was a substantial deviation in functionally important species (ungulates) and limited deviation in primary productivity and biological diversity. In wetlands, there was a limited deviation from the reference condition in primary productivity, biological diversity, and landscape ecological patterns. Most challenges encountered during this pilot assessment related to the inadequacy of the datasets for assessing ecosystem condition. Reasons behind this include that ecosystem extents are not adequately mapped, particularly those characterised by small and fragmented patches, and a taxonomic or geographical limitation of datasets and environmental monitoring. The report suggests further development of indicators for operational application. Finally, the report also suggests knowledge needs and prioritisation for further research to support the future implementation of ecosystem assessments in Norway.Norwegian Environment Agency: M-2190 | 202