Social Assistive Robots, Reframing The Human Robotics Interaction Benchmark Of Social Success

Abstract

It is likely that robots will cross the boundaries of<br> industry into households over the next decades. With demographic<br> challenges worldwide, the future ageing populations will require the<br> introduction of assistive technologies capable of providing, care,<br> human dignity and quality of life through the aging process. Robotics<br> technology has a high potential for being used in the areas of social<br> and healthcare by promoting a wide range of activities such as<br> entertainment, companionship, supervision or cognitive and physical<br> assistance. However such close Human Robotics Interaction (HRI)<br> encompass a rich set of ethical scenarios that need to be addressed<br> before Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) reach the global markets.<br> Such interactions with robots may seem a worthy goal for many<br> technical/financial reasons but inevitably require close attention to<br> the ethical dimensions of such interactions. This article investigates<br> the current HRI benchmark of social success. It revises it according<br> to the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and justice<br> aligned with social care ethos. An extension of such benchmark is<br> proposed based on an empirical study of HRIs conducted with elderly<br> groups.