Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Jaime Romero is a leading voice in the rapidly evolving field of service robotics, with a specific focus on human–robot interactions in hospitality and tourism. His research critically examines how customers perceive and engage with robots in frontline service roles, from hotel lobbies to restaurant floors. Romero’s most influential work, a 2021 study on service robots and COVID-19 (140 citations), demonstrated that Generation Z customers perceive robots as effective tools for prevention efficacy, thereby enhancing trust and encouraging demand during the pandemic. This foundational insight has shaped industry strategies for post-pandemic recovery. Building on this, his 2022 study (73 citations) introduced a novel framework linking social cognition and psychological ownership to customer responses in restaurant settings, revealing how anthropomorphism drives positive engagement. Most recently, his 2025 work (8 citations) explores employee-robot collaboration, showing that robot attributes like manipulability and attractiveness foster customer psychological ownership and engagement. Romero’s contributions are pivotal for understanding the psychological mechanisms behind successful service automation, making his work essential reading for researchers and practitioners navigating the future of hospitality technology.