IoT-based Solutions for Privacy-Preservation During Interaction with Assistive Robotics
Abstract
As mobile robot technologies become pervasive in daily life settings and share
physical space with regular people, privacy concerns and complications arise. In
particular, the independent and enhanced mobility features of mobile robots raise
the potential of privacy violations through continuous surveillance, access to privacy-sensitive locations, or opportunities for witnessing embarrassing situations. In this
paper, an IoT-based solution concept called PrivateLoc is proposed to empower end-users with the ability to use smartwatches to restrict robot perception and movement
at home dynamically according to end-users’ privacy preferences, conditions, or locations. Thus, descriptive research was conducted using structured surveys with 104
participants, 45% females and 55% males, from different age groups for two primary
goals. First, investigating whether participants associate their privacy concerns at
home with specific locations or situations. Second, estimating the potential attitude
toward the usability and effectiveness of the proposed solution in lessening privacy
concerns. The results support the statement that most of the participants associate their privacy concerns with situations rather than specific locations. Moreover, the
results indicate that the majority of the participants intend to control robot movement to protect their privacy. These results motivate further research related to the
proposed system concept, given its potential usefulness and effectiveness in alleviating
privacy concerns.