Just Ordinary Robots Automation from Love to War

A social robot is a robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. We seem to accept the use of robots that perform dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs. But how far do we want to go with the automation of care for children and the elderly, or the killing of terrorists? Would we be setting humanity aside if we accepted such automation?Just Ordinary Robots: Automation from Love to War provides a socially involved, yet sober, view into the new age of robots. It supplies a cutting-edge look at robot technologies, including what these technologies are capable of and the ethical and regulatory questions they raise.The book surveys the various types of social robots and examines their social significance in homes, health care, traffic, the police, and the military. Considering the technical characteristics and societal expectations of robots in these areas, it explores what is possible right now in terms of robot technologies. It also looks into the social, ethical, and regulatory issues future robot technologies will create.The text provides authoritative insights into the social significance of robots for the medium and long term. Illustrating the political, administrative, and regulatory consequences related to each area, it highlights key points that need to be publicly discussed or put on the agenda by today’s politicians and policy makers.

Robots Everywhere With Vision Technically Speaking From Automata to Robots Robot-Friendly Environments Robot BodyRobot BrainNetworked Robots and Human-Based Computing Seen Socially Information TechnologyLifelike AppearanceLevel of Autonomy Robotization as RationalizationMore Explorations Interview with Luciano Floridi (Philosopher and Ethicist of Information at Oxford University) References Home Is Where the Robot Is: Mechanoids, Humanoids, and Androids Introduction Mechanoid Robots: The Vacuum Cleaner Experiences of Early Adaptors: Roombarization Reducing Complexity of Household Tasks Liability of Home Robots Humanoid Robots: The CompanionRobot Body Human–Robot Interaction Social De-Skilling Android Robots: The Sex Robot Roxxxy Benefits of Sex Robots Social and Ethical IssuesObservational Conclusions Household Robots Companion and Sex RobotsInterview with Kerstin Dautenhahn (Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)ReferencesTaking Care of Our Parents: The Role of Domotics and Robots IntroductionDomotics for Care for the ElderlyParadigmatic Shift in Care Ethical IssuesFrom Home Robotics to Robots in the HomeIncreasing the Pace of the Paradigmatic Shift in CareGeneral Ethical Issues Relating to Care RobotsSpecific Ethical Issues with Regard to the Role of Care Robots Robot as CompanionRobot as Cognitive Assistant of the Care RecipientRobot as (Supporter of the) CaregiverObservational Conclusions: The Long Term Interview with Hans Rietman (Professor of PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation, University of Twente) ReferencesDrones in the City: Toward a Floating Robotic Panopticon? Introduction: Amazon PrimeAir Civil Applications of Drones Recreational Use Drone JournalismPrecision Farming Drones for Law Enforcement Robocop Tasks of Police Drones Examples of Police Drones Legal and Ethical IssuesSafety Aerial Safety Improper Operations Hacking of Drones Drone Hunting Privacy Reasonable Expectation of PrivacyVoyeurism Big Brother Drone Is Watching You Chilling Effect Regulations of Drones Regulations in the United States Governments Regulations in the European UnionProliferation of Drone Regulations Concluding Observations: Drones Create a Floating Robotic Panopticon Interview with Mark Wiebes (Innovation Manager with the Dutch National Police) References Who Drives the Car? Introduction Problems for Modern Road Traffic and Their Costs Traffic Victims Traffic Congestion Pollution Driver Assistance Systems (Levels 1 and 2) ABS and ESC Adaptive Cruise Control System and Stop-and-Go SystemsPedestrians’ and Cyclists’ Airbag Pre crash System Limited Self-Driving Automation (Level 3) Traffic ManagementCooperative SystemsCooperative Driving Autonomous Car (Level 4) Google AutoNOMOS and the Remotely Controlled Community Taxi Social and Ethical Issues Surrounding Car RobotizationAcceptance Privacy Security and SafetyBetter Driver LiabilityLegislation for Limited and Full Self-Driving Concluding ObservationsShort Term: Driver Assistance Systems (Levels 1 and 2)Medium Term: Cooperative Systems (Level 3)Long Term: Autonomous Car (Level 4)Interview with Bryant Walker Smith (Assistant Professor ofLaw, University of South Carolina) References Armed Military Drones: The Ethics behind Various Degrees of Autonomy Focus on Teleoperated and Autonomous ArmedMilitary RobotsUnarmed Military RobotsArmed Military Robots Autonomy of Military Robots Is High on the AgendaMilitary Robots and International Humanitarian LawTele-Led DronesAutonomous Drones Question of Responsibility Responsibility of ManufacturersResponsibility of Human OperatorsResponsibility of the Commanding Officer Proliferation and Security Concluding RemarksSocial and Ethical Issues RegulationInterview with Jürgen Altmann (Physicist and Peace Researcher at TU Dortmund University) References Automation from Love to WarFuture Expectations and Technical Possibilities Influential Strong AI Pipe Dream Successful and Pragmatic Weak AI ApproachExploring Artificial Social Intelligence Exploring Artificial Moral Intelligence Expected Social GainsRobots as Information Technology Monitoring and Privacy Safety, Cyber Security, and MisuseLifelike Appearance of Social RobotsDegree of Autonomy of RobotsSystems View on Responsibility and Liability Man in the Loop Man on the LoopMan Out of the Loop Robot Systems as Dehumanizing SystemsUndermining Human Dignity Undermining Human Sustainability Current Relevance Governance of Robotics in SocietyPutting Users at the Center Political and Regulatory Issues Balancing Precaution and ProactionEpilogueReferencesIndex

Lambèr Royakkers is an associate professor in ethics and technology at the Department School of Innovation Sciences of the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. He has studied mathematics, philosophy, and law. In 1996, he obtained his PhD on the logic of legal norms. During the past few years, he has done research and published in the following areas: military ethics, robo-ethics, deontic logic, and the moral responsibility in research networks. He was project leader of the research program "Moral Fitness of Military Personnel in a Networked Operational Environment" (2009–2014) from The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). His research has an interdisciplinary character and is on the interface between ethics, law, and technology.He is also involved in a European project, as chairman of the Ethics Advisory Board of the FP7-project SUBCOP (SUicide Bomber COunteraction and Prevention, 2013–2016). He has authored and coauthored more than 10 books, including Ethics, Engineering and Technology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011) and Moral Responsibility and the Problem of Many Hands (Taylor & Francis Group 2015).Rinie van Est is a research coordinator and "trendcatcher" with the Rathenau Institute’s Technology Assessment division. He has a background in applied physics and political science. At the Rathenau Institute, he is primarily concerned with emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, cognitive sciences, persuasive technology, robotics, and synthetic biology. In addition to his work for the Rathenau Institute, he lectures on technology assessment and foresight at the School of Innovation Sciences of the Eindhoven University of Technology. He has contributed to some recent studies: Check In/ Check Out: The Public Space as an Internet of Things (2011), European Governance Challenges in Bio-Engineering – Making Perfect Life: Bio-Engineering (in) the 21st Century (2012), Energy in 2030 (2013), Intimate Technology: The Battle for Our Body and Behavior (2014).