Catalog

Robot ethics is a growing interdisciplinary research effort roughly situated in the intersection of applied ethics and robotics with the aim of understanding the ethical implications and consequences of robotic technology, in particular, autonomous robots. Researchers, theorists, and scholars from areas as diverse as robotics, computer science, psychology, law, philosophy, and others are approaching the pressing ethical questions about developing and deploying robotic technology in societies. Many areas of robotics are impacted, especially those where robots interact with humans, ranging from elder care and medical robotics, to robots for various search and rescue missions including military robots, to all kinds of service and entertainment robots. While military robots were initially a main focus of the discussion (e.g., whether and when autonomous robots should be allowed to use lethal force, whether they should be allowed to make those decisions autonomously, etc.), in recent years the impact of other types of robots, in particular, social robots has become an increasingly important topic as well.

The Technical Committee on Robot Ethics aims to provide the IEEE-RAS with a framework for raising and addressing the urgent ethical questions prompted by and associated with robotics research and technology. Ever since its inception almost a decade ago in 2004, the TC has been involved in organizing various types of meetings to call attention to the increasingly urgent ethical issues raised by the rapidly advancing robotics technology. An increasing number of workshops and special sessions are organized at main conferences (such as ICRA, IACAP, AISB and others). And more workshops, special sessions, and standalone venues are in the planning. Moreover, an increasing number of publications as well as public lectures and interviews by researchers invested in this topic focus on these issues.

https://www.ieee-ras.org/robot-ethics