How and When Can Robots Be Team Members? Three Decades of Research on Human–Robot Teams

Abstract

Artificial intelligence and robotic technologies have grown in sophistication and reach. Accordingly, research into mixed human–robot teams that comprise both robots and humans has expanded as well, attracting the attention of researchers from different disciplines, such as organizational behavior, human–robot interaction, cognitive science, and robotics. With this systematic literature review, the authors seek to establish deeper insights into existing research and sharpen the definitions of relevant terms. With a close consideration of 150 studies published between 1990 and 2020 that investigate mixed human–robot teams, conceptually or empirically, this article provides both a systematic evaluation of extant research and propositions for further research.