Scientist calls for robot ethics

Ethics guidelines are urgently needed to control the growing use of robots in caring for children and the elderly, says one UK robotics expert.Professor Noel Sharkey, of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, makes his case in today's issue of the journal Science.

Sharkey argues that the steady increase in the use of robots in day-to-day life poses unanticipated risks and ethical problems.In particular he worries about the impact of long-term exposure of "vulnerable" groups such as children and the elderly to "personal care" robots.

"There are already at least 14 companies in Japan and South Korea that have developed child care robots," says Sharkey.

"The question here is, will this lead to neglect and social exclusion?"

Robots make teddy bears redundant

Sharkey says studies have shown that children prefer robots to a teddy bear and develop attachment to the machines.He says short-term exposure "can provide an enjoyable and entertaining experience that creates interest and curiosity".

But Sharkey says children cared for by robots may, over the long-term, suffer psychological impacts from lack of human contact.Animal experiments suggest young monkeys left in the care of robots "became unable to deal with other monkeys and to breed," says Sharkey.He says there are also already many "elder-care" robots in wide use, such as the Japanese "My Spoon", which can automatically feed older people, and an electric bathtub robot that can automatically wash and rinse them.

Sharkey also expresses concern about plans to develop military robots that can autonomously locate targets and destroy them without human intervention."The ethical problems arise because no computational system can discriminate between combatants and innocents in a close-contact encounter," he says.

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