journal article·2021-10-29Open access

A New Perspective on Robot Ethics through Investigating Human–Robot Interactions with Older Adults

Anouk van Maris, Nancy Zook, Sanja Dogramadzi, Matthew Studley, Alan Winfield, Praminda Caleb-Solly

Applied Sciences· Volume 11· Issue 21

Abstract

This work explored the use of human–robot interaction research to investigate robot ethics. A longitudinal human–robot interaction study was conducted with self-reported healthy older adults to determine whether expression of artificial emotions by a social robot could result in emotional deception and emotional attachment. The findings from this study have highlighted that currently there appears to be no adequate tools, or the means, to determine the ethical impact and concerns ensuing from long-term interactions between social robots and older adults. This raises the question whether we should continue the fundamental development of social robots if we cannot determine their potential negative impact and whether we should shift our focus to the development of human–robot interaction assessment tools that provide more objective measures of ethical impact.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Social Robot Interaction and HRI · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK

Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK

Department of Automatic Control & Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK

School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

Funding

European Union

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