1st Edition

Healthcare Robots Ethics, Design and Implementation

By Aimee van Wynsberghe Copyright 2015
    166 Pages
    by Routledge

    166 Pages
    by Routledge

    This study deals with an underexplored area of the emerging technologies debate: robotics in the healthcare setting. The author explores the role of care and develops a value-sensitive ethical framework for the eventual employment of care robots. Highlighting the range of positive and negative aspects associated with the initiative to design and use care robots, it draws out essential content as a guide to future design both reinforcing this study’s contemporary relevance, and giving weight to its prescriptions. The book speaks to, and is meant to be read by, a range of disciplines from science and engineering to philosophers and ethicists.

    Healthcare Robots: Ethics, Design and Implementation

    Biography

    Aimee van Wynsberghe studied cell biology while working in a robotics lab. Her experiences at the lab led her to ask questions concerning the ethics of using robots in surgical procedures. Aimee is currently a post doctoral researcher at the University of Twente, the Netherlands and is working as an ethics adviser for a technical institute at the university.

    ’This is a tour de force from one of a new breed of researchers concerned with the societal and ethical issues created by new technologies. Wynsberghe highlights many of the problems with the accelerating use of robotics for elder care and brilliantly points the way forward through value sensitive design. This is a must read, not only for those working in robotics but also for those interested in the future and practice of care.’ Noel Sharkey, University of Sheffield, UK ’With the eyes of an applied ethicist, Aimee van Wynsberghe foregrounds care in her value sensitive analysis of healthcare robots. In assessing diverse technical solutions for the future of healthcare the author provides a rigorous and insightful contribution to the literature.’ Batya Friedman, University of Washington, USA