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

Alexandra  Kapeller; Heike Felzmann; Eduard  Fosch Villaronga; Konstantinos Nizamis; Ann Marie Hughes

doi:10.3390/app11156705

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

Alexandra Kapeller^*, Heike Felzmann, Eduard Fosch Villaronga, Konstantinos Nizamis, Ann Marie Hughes

^*Corresponding author for this work

Design Engineering

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15 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI) in the development of wearable robots (WRs) are currently not explicitly addressed in most guidelines for WR developers. Previous work has identified ELSI related to WRs, e.g., impacts on body and identity, ableism, data protection, control and responsibilities, but translation of these concerns into actionable recommendations remains outstanding. This paper provides practical guidance for the implementation of ELSI in WR design, development and use. First, we identify the need for domain-specific recommendations against the context of current ELSI guidance. We then demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of taking a domain-specific approach by successively transforming currently identified ELSI into an action-guiding flowchart for integration of ELSI specific to the different stages of WR development. This flowchart identifies specific questions to be considered by WR development teams and suggests actions to be taken in response. By tailoring ELSI guidance to WR developers, centring it on user needs, their relation to others and wider society, and being cognizant of existing legislation and values, we hope to help the community develop better WRs that are safer, have greater usability, and which impact positively on society.

Original language	English
Article number	6705
Journal	Applied Sciences
Volume	11
Issue number	15
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/app11156705
Publication status	Published - 21 Jul 2021

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10.3390/app11156705Licence: CC BY

Kapeller-2021-Implementing-ethical-legal-and-sociFinal published version, 785 KBLicence: CC BY

15 Citations
2 Article

Redefining Safety in Light of Human-Robot Interaction: A Critical Review of Current Standards and Regulations
Martinetti, A., Chemweno, P. K., Nizamis, K. & Fosch Villaronga, E., 27 Jul 2021, In: Frontiers in chemical engineering. 3, 666237.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Open Access
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45 Citations (Scopus)

258 Downloads (Pure)
Wearable Robotic Exoskeletons: A Socio-Philosophical Perspective on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research
Kapeller, A., Nagenborg, M. H. & Nizamis, K., 1 Oct 2020, In: Paladyn. 11, 1, p. 404-413 10 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Open Access
File
8 Citations (Scopus)

112 Downloads (Pure)

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title = "Implementing Ethical, Legal, and Societal Considerations in Wearable Robot Design",

abstract = "Ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI) in the development of wearable robots (WRs) are currently not explicitly addressed in most guidelines for WR developers. Previous work has identified ELSI related to WRs, e.g., impacts on body and identity, ableism, data protection, control and responsibilities, but translation of these concerns into actionable recommendations remains outstanding. This paper provides practical guidance for the implementation of ELSI in WR design, development and use. First, we identify the need for domain-specific recommendations against the context of current ELSI guidance. We then demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of taking a domain-specific approach by successively transforming currently identified ELSI into an action-guiding flowchart for integration of ELSI specific to the different stages of WR development. This flowchart identifies specific questions to be considered by WR development teams and suggests actions to be taken in response. By tailoring ELSI guidance to WR developers, centring it on user needs, their relation to others and wider society, and being cognizant of existing legislation and values, we hope to help the community develop better WRs that are safer, have greater usability, and which impact positively on society.",

author = "Alexandra Kapeller and Heike Felzmann and {Fosch Villaronga}, Eduard and Konstantinos Nizamis and Hughes, {Ann Marie}",

note = "Funding Information: Over the last decade, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of paying attention to ELSI in robot development [18–20]. ELSI considerations have also received significantly increased attention from governance bodies and professional organisations, in various guises. While sometimes ELSI work is identified as a distinct, primarily citizen‐oriented engagement approach, distinguished from Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) as a later approach that is more oriented towards researchers and developers [21], in this paper we consider the ELSI umbrella to be wide, referring to all attempts to engage stakeholders in an inclusive and critical reflection process on novel technology development, ideally inculcating an attitude of humility among innovators [22]. This includes most prominently in the European context RRI initiatives funded by the European Commission as well as recent guidance documents targeted at technology developers [17,23]. Despite receiving widespread attention, such instrumentsʹ impact on practice has previously been limited. The primary challenge for any attempt at providing ELSI guidance to robotic engineers appears to be finding the appropriate balance between: Funding Information: Funding: COST Action 16116 Wearable Robots for Augmentation, Assistance or Substitution of Human Motor Functions, which is funded through COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

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doi = "10.3390/app11156705",

language = "English",

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AU - Felzmann, Heike

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AU - Nizamis, Konstantinos

AU - Hughes, Ann Marie

N1 - Funding Information: Over the last decade, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of paying attention to ELSI in robot development [18–20]. ELSI considerations have also received significantly increased attention from governance bodies and professional organisations, in various guises. While sometimes ELSI work is identified as a distinct, primarily citizen‐oriented engagement approach, distinguished from Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) as a later approach that is more oriented towards researchers and developers [21], in this paper we consider the ELSI umbrella to be wide, referring to all attempts to engage stakeholders in an inclusive and critical reflection process on novel technology development, ideally inculcating an attitude of humility among innovators [22]. This includes most prominently in the European context RRI initiatives funded by the European Commission as well as recent guidance documents targeted at technology developers [17,23]. Despite receiving widespread attention, such instrumentsʹ impact on practice has previously been limited. The primary challenge for any attempt at providing ELSI guidance to robotic engineers appears to be finding the appropriate balance between: Funding Information: Funding: COST Action 16116 Wearable Robots for Augmentation, Assistance or Substitution of Human Motor Functions, which is funded through COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

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N2 - Ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI) in the development of wearable robots (WRs) are currently not explicitly addressed in most guidelines for WR developers. Previous work has identified ELSI related to WRs, e.g., impacts on body and identity, ableism, data protection, control and responsibilities, but translation of these concerns into actionable recommendations remains outstanding. This paper provides practical guidance for the implementation of ELSI in WR design, development and use. First, we identify the need for domain-specific recommendations against the context of current ELSI guidance. We then demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of taking a domain-specific approach by successively transforming currently identified ELSI into an action-guiding flowchart for integration of ELSI specific to the different stages of WR development. This flowchart identifies specific questions to be considered by WR development teams and suggests actions to be taken in response. By tailoring ELSI guidance to WR developers, centring it on user needs, their relation to others and wider society, and being cognizant of existing legislation and values, we hope to help the community develop better WRs that are safer, have greater usability, and which impact positively on society.

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VL - 11

JO - Applied Sciences

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ER -

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

Abstract

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Research output

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

Wearable Robotic Exoskeletons: A Socio-Philosophical Perspective on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research

Cite this