I have a question regarding the exclusion criteria applied during the study selection process, as I am trying to understand the methodological consistency.
In Table 1 (Selecting Criteria), one of the Exclusive Criteria clearly states: “autonomous mobile robot”. However, in the Results section (page 9), under “Types of Interaction and Tasks,” several included studies are described as involving mobile cobots in tasks such as: “collect-and-delivery” [52] , “wheelchair control” , “autonomous driving” [47], and in the study list [79] which evaluates “a mobile cobot in a retail environment”.
This appears to be a direct contradiction: studies involving autonomous mobile robots or mobile cobots seem to have been included despite being listed as an exclusion criterion.
Could you please clarify how this inconsistency was resolved during the screening process? Was the term “autonomous mobile robot” defined in a specific way that excluded certain platforms but allowed others (e.g., mobile cobots used in shared spaces)? Or was this an oversight during the full-text review?
If mobile robot studies were included unintentionally, this might affect the reproducibility and focus of the review, since the sample may not align with the stated scope. As an early-career researcher, I would greatly appreciate your insight into how such criteria are operationalized in scoping reviews to ensure methodological rigor.