SOCIAL ASSISTIVE ROBOTS: A ROBOETHICS FRAMEWORK FOR HUMAN ROBOTICS INTERACTION IN ELDERLY CARE

Abstract

Over the coming decades we will require assistive technologies capable of providing, care, human dignity and quality of life through the aging process. Social Assistive Robots (SARs) start to demonstrate a high potential for being used in the areas of social and healthcare by promoting a wide range of activities such as supervision, entertainment or cognitive and physical assistance. Such close Human Robotics Interactions (HRIs) are likely to involve ethical scenarios that need to be addressed during the development and progressive introduction of SARs. In this article we investigate the current state of the art of HRI benchmarks for guiding the development and introduction of SARs with vulnerable groups. We extend such benchmarks based on a qualitative study of the introduction of SARs by analysis drawing on the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, autonomy and incorporating a social care ethos. The study, which examined the issues involved in practical HRIs was conducted in social care settings with elderly groups. As a result we propose an extension of HRI benchmarks to be incorporated in a Roboethics framework for the development and introduction of SARs in elderly care.