Robots, Healthcare, and the Law: Regulating Automation in Personal Care

Description

The integration of robotic systems and artificial intelligence into healthcare settings is accelerating. As these technological developments interact socially with children, the elderly, or the disabled, they may raise concerns besides mere physical safety; concerns that include data protection, inappropriate use of emotions, invasion of privacy, autonomy suppression, decrease in human interaction, and cognitive safety. Given the novelty of these technologies and the uncertainties surrounding the impact of care automation, it is unclear how the law should respond. This book investigates the legal and regulatory implications of the growing use of personal care robots for healthcare purposes. It explores the interplay between various aspects of the law, including safety, data protection, responsibility, transparency, autonomy, and dignity; and it examines different robotic and AI systems, such as social therapy robots, physical assistant robots for rehabilitation, and wheeled passenger carriers. Highlighting specific problems and challenges in regulating complex cyber-physical systems in concrete healthcare applications, it critically assesses the adequacy of current industry standards and emerging regulatory initiatives for robots and AI. After analyzing the potential legal and ethical issues associated with personal care robots, it concludes that the primarily principle-based approach of recent law and robotics studies is too abstract to be as effective as required by the personal care context. Instead, it recommends bridging the gap between general legal principles and their applicability in concrete robotic and AI technologies with a risk-based approach using impact assessments. As the first book to compile both legal and regulatory aspects of personal care robots, this book will be a valuable addition to the literature on robotics, artificial intelligence, human–robot interaction, law, and philosophy of technology. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgments First foreword Second foreword Introduction Technology and aging What is this book about? Interdisciplinary and temporal reflections Structure of this book References 1. From forced labour to robots Origins of the word “robot” Robots and artificial intelligence The legal definition of robot Working definition of a robot for this book Service robots References 2. Automation in healthcare Personal care robots Person carrier robots Carriers with a passenger standing on the foothold Legged passenger carriers Carriers whose passenger sits on a monocycle Wheeled passenger carriers Other person carriers Mobile servant robots Are personal care robots social or non-social robots? Not personal care robots References 3. Robot Impact Assessment Robots challenge the legal framework How robots have been assessed so far? Legal assessment Robot Impact Assessment References 4. Personal care robots: context and robot type Wheeled passenger carriers Lower-limb exoskeletons Mobile assistant robots References 5. Robot and AI legal framework Relevant legislation concerning robots and AI Service standards Ethical frameworks Prospective legal frameworks Framework for this book References 6. Comprehensive safety Wheeled passenger carriers Lower-limb exoskeletons Mobile servant robots References 7. Consumer robotics Wheeled passenger carriers Lower-limb exoskeletons Mobile servant robots References 8. Responsibility, liability, and accountability Responsibility for robot and AI environments Wheeled passenger carriers Lower-limb exoskeletons Mobile servant robots References 9. Privacy and data protection Privacy, robots and AI Wheeled passenger carriers Lower-limb exoskeletons Mobile servant robots References 10. Dignity and broader impacts Boundaries of the use of emotions in HRI Human dignity takes different forms but should be utmostly protected Future of care professions References Conclusions Takeaways Way forward: an iterative learning governance process for robot and AI Reflections What’s in our power, and what is not when concerned with robot use and development Robots may cause the problem they try to solve Long-term consequences of robot and AI technologies References Appendix: conducting a Robot Impact Assessment Index