A Taxonomy of Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Wearable Robots: An Expert Perspective

Abstract

Wearable robots and exoskeletons are relatively new technologies designed for assisting and augmenting human motor functions. Due to their different possible design applications and their intimate connection to the human body, they come with specific ethical, legal, and social issues (ELS), which have not been much explored in the recent ELS literature. This paper draws on expert consultations and a literature review to provide a taxonomy of the most important ethical, legal, and social issues of wearable robots. These issues are categorized in (1) wearable robots and the self, (2) wearable robots and the other, and (3) wearable robots in society.

Do Privacy Concerns About Social Robots Affect Use Intentions? Evidence From an Experimental Vignette Study

“…Furthermore, we see a growing, interdisciplinary interest in research about the privacy implications of social robots, with an uptick in publications across disciplines since 2015 (Lutz et al, 2019 ). To bridge the disciplinary gaps, expert workshop insights on currently under-addressed topics have led to the identification of interdisciplinary research needs (Rueben et al, 2018 ; Fosch-Villaronga et al, 2020 ; Kapeller et al, 2020 ) and have stipulated the emergence of new research fields, such as the field of privacy-sensitive robotics (Rueben et al, 2018 ). These workshops with experts across disciplines provide qualitative insights into the ethical, social, and legal implications of social (Rueben et al, 2018 ; Fosch-Villaronga et al, 2020 ) and wearable robots (Kapeller et al, 2020 ), pointing to the privacy-relevant issues to be tackled in the future.…”

“…To bridge the disciplinary gaps, expert workshop insights on currently under-addressed topics have led to the identification of interdisciplinary research needs (Rueben et al, 2018 ; Fosch-Villaronga et al, 2020 ; Kapeller et al, 2020 ) and have stipulated the emergence of new research fields, such as the field of privacy-sensitive robotics (Rueben et al, 2018 ). These workshops with experts across disciplines provide qualitative insights into the ethical, social, and legal implications of social (Rueben et al, 2018 ; Fosch-Villaronga et al, 2020 ) and wearable robots (Kapeller et al, 2020 ), pointing to the privacy-relevant issues to be tackled in the future. Privacy-related aspects include data privacy and transparency, deception and manipulation, agency and control, accountability, as well as trust, and recommendations on how to address them have been developed, for example, increased control and transparency requirements and the prohibition of data collection in certain instances.…”

Redefining Safety in Light of Human-Robot Interaction: A Critical Review of Current Standards and Regulations

“…However, recent innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber systems, including robots/cobots raise several concerns including whether these robots pose additional risks for workers, lead to unequal treatment, or even commercial exploitation (Vrousalis, 2013;Kapeller et al, 2020). These advancements challenge the Council Directive 2006 42/EC's validity and applicability to these new fields, which led the institutions to go through a thorough revision of this instrument.…”

Implementing Ethical, Legal, and Societal Considerations in Wearable Robot Design

“…Second, and most importantly, we aim to provide the first practical, domain-specific guidance on ELSI matters in the development of WRs. The paper builds on prior work conducted by the Working Group of the H2020 COST Action 16116 on ELSI of WRs, including expert consultations and a literature review [5]. The results of this theoretical analysis are now translated into a specified flowchart directed at WR engineers and is designed to help them include ELSI considerations into the development process of WRs.…”

“…Including ELSI in guidance and education for WR developers is also in line with the broader shift in engineering education from technology-only skills towards the development of transdisciplinary "21st-century skills", such as critical/creative thinking, social skills, collaboration, and communication [11,12]. It is not sufficient to focus on technical and standardization issues [5,[13][14][15]. Engineers also need to recognise the wider impact of their technologies, e.g., by addressing questions regarding expectations, understanding, and behavior by various stakeholders, which may impact the societal reception of WRs.…”