  There have been incredible advancements in robotics and spoken dialogue
systems (SDSs) over the past few years, yet we still don't find social robots
in public spaces like train stations, shopping malls, or hospital waiting
rooms. In this paper, we argue that early-stage collaboration between robot
designers and SDS researchers is crucial to create social robots that can
legitimately be used in real-world environments. We draw from our experiences
running experiments with social robots, and the surrounding literature, to
highlight recurring issues. Robots need more speakers, more microphones,
quieter motors, and quieter fans to enable human-robot spoken interaction in
the wild and improve accessibility. More robust robot joints are also needed to
limit potential harm to older adults and other more vulnerable groups.
