Autonomy Acceptance Model (AAM): The Role of Autonomy and Risk in Security Robot Acceptance

The rapid deployment of security robots across our society calls for further examination of their acceptance. This study explores human acceptance of security robots by theoretically extending the technology acceptance model to include the impact of autonomy and risk. To accomplish this, we conducted an online experiment with 236 participants, employing a 3 (autonomy) × 2 (risk) between-subjects design. Participants watched a video introducing a security robot, which operated at an autonomy level of either low, moderate, or high and presented either a low or high risk to humans. Our findings suggest that higher robot autonomy tends to reduce acceptance. Additionally, we observed the risk associated with security robots moderated the relationship between autonomy and acceptance. Based on these results, we offer recommendations for future research on security robots.