Diversity and Culture in Social Robotics: A Scoping Review
Abstract
Abstract This review explores how cultural relativism affects the adoption and perception of robots, drawing conclusions that can be used to mitigate biases and design robots that incorporate cultural diversity. Indeed, several aspects (like religion, pragmatics, appearance, application areas) need to be considered and implemented to ensure a more pleasant interaction with humans. We show that culture is in itself a broad concept that covers various aspects: verbal behavior, nonverbal behavior, design, and application areas. It could intervene as a response and interpretation strategy when there is a clear reference to a social background in the task to shorten the adaptation. It is a cost-saving principle, a heuristic.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Social Robot Interaction and HRI
Robot Manipulation and Learning
Language and cultural evolution
Publication details
- Journal / source
- International Journal of Social Robotics
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Publication date
- 1 March 2026
- Language
- EN