Ethical Issues

Part of Project Lirec. Notes from the end of D4

Lirec is concerned with the use of robot technology in everyday settings:

• Research prototypes
• Commercial robots
• Robots in popular media
• Robots in the art scene

How do they affect social practises? The use of Value Sensitive Design within lirec.

Ethics questions will be part of:

• The scenarios
• Workshops
• User studies

Given out to the research partners:

1. Describe the technology and/or scenario that you are working with?
2. What is the main motivation for choosing this particular technology/scenario?
3. What would you say are the underlying ideas behind your research?
4. How do people (general public and other researchers) react to your work? E.g. common questions.
5. What are the reasons that you work with robots (instead of another kind of technology or design solution)?
6. Do you think that your work expresses any particular values? Please describe these. For example, does it reflect any cultural, moral or aesthetic values, and how?
7. How do you think that your own values and interest may affect your research/scenario?
8. How do you think that your work may affect society (both negative and positive)? Does it emphasize, change or follow an existing tradition?
9. What are your thoughts about robots in general?
10. How would you define a robot?
11. Do your have other comments reflections about ethics and robotics/robots?

Study human emotion and expression by looking at:

• Comparing how people act towards robots and animals
• Other forms of HCI technology

Forming and maintenance of relationships does not necessarily mean you have to mimic human behaviour - triggering affection and social interests may be done in other ways.

As researchers it's important to stay open, and allow early impressions of the work (from the wider society) to filter into design decisions.