The results now available clearly demonstrate that there is a wide range of potential uses for social robots across all areas of application. They can, for example, promote the autonomy of people requiring care, enhance customer shopping experiences and lend support during learning processes for children, young people and adults. While humanoid or animaloid robots facilitate intuitive interaction, they also carry the risk of deception. This is especially true for robots that are designed to mimic humans very closely in terms of their appearance and the way they interact.

The study also reveals that users would prefer to see social robots used in roles that offer assistance and support. This would enable team members to decide which responsibilities should be assigned to the robots, opening up new possibilities for interaction with their target groups. The study identified the poor embedding of robots in social settings and the associated reduction in human-to-human interaction as a primary risk.

Specific recommendations for society, politics and the economy were derived on the basis of the team's findings. The researchers consider the participatory development of usage scenarios and task profiles to be key. This is particularly true in the case of vulnerable end-users in the health care and education sectors. The study therefore proposes that further research and development be conducted specifically in this area, for example through the scientific monitoring of pilot projects.

It is also recommended that society's involvement in determining the areas in which social robots are used be encouraged. Prospective users should be educated and informed about how social robots work and how they are being developed. As with other technologies, it is essential to ensure that people's privacy and intimacy are protected. The researchers believe that the provision of prior consent to the use of social robots represents a viable path here.