Long-term changes in technology acceptance of a robotic system in stroke treatment: a pilot study

Abstract

Abstract Objectives This pilot field study aimed to detect long-term changes in technology acceptance (TAM), user experience (UX) during use of an experimental demonstrator Bi-Manu-Interact (BMI) in stroke rehabilitation. Methods In 10 therapy sessions, patients performed a 20 min workout per session with the BMI. Patients with stroke were interviewed after the first (T0) and the 10th training session (T1) with a structured questionnaire about UX, TAM and potential to use the BMI at home. Nine patients (n=4 females) aged 33–78 years ( M =60.22; SD =13.17) participated in the study. Results After using the BMI no statistically significant differences have been found in UX and TAM (T0 vs. T1). But small to large effect sizes have been found which imply a practical relevance of the differences. The potential to use the BMI at home showed an increase in readiness for at T1 compared to T0. Conclusion Descriptive data suggest that familiarity gained through repetitive training sessions. The findings are coherent with previous studies.