A1 Journal article (refereed)
Robots responding to care needs? : A multitasking care robot pursued for 25 years, available products offer simple entertainment and instrumental assistance (2020)

Van Aerschot, L., & Parviainen, J. (2020). Robots responding to care needs? : A multitasking care robot pursued for 25 years, available products offer simple entertainment and instrumental assistance. Ethics and Information Technology, 22(3), 247-256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-020-09536-0

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Van Aerschot, Lina; Parviainen, Jaana

Journal or series: Ethics and Information Technology

ISSN: 1388-1957

eISSN: 1572-8439

Publication year: 2020

Volume: 22

Issue number: 3

Pages range: 247-256

Publisher: Springer

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-020-09536-0

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/69785

Abstract

Twenty-five years ago, robotics guru Joseph Engelberger had a mission to motivate research teams all over the world to design the ‘Elderly Care Giver’, a multitasking personal robot assistant for everyday care needs in old age. In this article, we discuss how this vision of omnipotent care robots has influenced the design strategies of care robotics, the development of R&D initiatives and ethics research on use of care robots. Despite the expectations of robots revolutionizing care of older people, the role of robots in human care has remained marginal. The value of world trade in service robots, including care robots, is rather small. We argue that the implementation of robots in care is not primarily due to negative user attitudes or ethical problems, but to problems in R&D and manufacturing. The care robots currently available on the market are capable of simple, repetitive tasks or colloquial interaction. Thus far, also research on care robots is mostly conducted using imagi-nary scenarios or small-scale tests built up for research purposes. To develop useful and affordable robot solutions that are ethically, socially and ecologically sustainable, we suggest that robot initiatives should be evaluated within the framework of care ecosystems. This implies that attention has to be paid to the social, emotional and practical contexts in which care is given and received. Also, the political, economic and ecological realities of organizing care and producing technological commodities have to be acknowledged. It is time to openly discuss the drivers behind care robot initiatives to outline the bigger picture of organizing care under conditions of limited resources.

Keywords: care services; care work; robots; robotics; welfare technology; ethicality

Free keywords: care robots; care ethics; robot design; effective; affective; care ecosystem

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2020

JUFO rating: 2