At the pinnacle event, panellists from Robotics for Elderly Care engaged with audience members in a lively discussion about topics ranging from how quickly technology is developing to how perceptions shape how users may interact with new technology. Knowledge exchange, especially with the end user, is crucial to develop better ideas and tech advancements in elderly care. There was also debate on how robotics could help care givers free up time (by doing dull or repetitive tasks) so they could focus on human relationships.

The panel included: Nuray Gokalp (as moderator), Information Technology Manager for City of Amsterdam; Heleen Riper, Professor of eMental-Health at the Department of Clinical Psychology VU University Amsterdam; Marcel Heerink, Associate professor at Windesheim and LaSalle University; Sophia de Rooij, Professor in Internal Medicine, specialized in Geriatric Medicine; Marieke Van Der Waal, Director of Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing; and Andreas Argubi-Wollesen, Research Assistance, SmartASSIST.

“How do we address challenges like loneliness with the elderly, can loneliness be viewed as a human care problem?” said Nuray. “Are we losing something essential as humans if robots help with elderly care?”

“Therein lies a bit of a conundrum,” says Marcel. “Do we have robots that only do practical repetitive tasks, and that’s it? Do we leave emotional, attentive care to humans?”

“Technology is a means, not an end,” said Heleen. “Will we use robots to help with emotional needs in the future? Perhaps. Maybe it is better to look at it as a personal choice of social preference, depending on the individual.”

“Robots can be helpful in the future, but personal human interaction are still very important,” said Marieke, noting that tablets and cell phones have provided new ways to communicate with family at long distances.

“Yes, said Andreas. “No one thought we would interact with cellphones or smartphones like we do now. I think it would be a failure to develop something, and for there only to be one perception of how to use it. We need to give people the tools and see how they would interact with them. It’s important from a design aspect.”

After some initial dialogue, an older audience member remarked that she created a network of unemployed young people and the older generation called “generations in touch” but was looking into scoping funding for projects like this in the community. She enquired about funding and asked if the panel knew of any other avenues that can be used to engage older generations.

“Devices need to be adaptive to different individuals and reactive, as each day can be different,” said Heleen. “Your calendar age doesn’t say much, there’s a big difference person to person. For example, your biological age may be 80, but you could feel very active and healthy.”

“Education on both parts (researcher and user) is a critical piece to create better technology,” said Andreas. “We need to put artefacts into the hands of the users. We found that many people thought what we were providing them was like something featured in science fiction and that’s often not the case. That’s why it is so important to put robots into users’ hands and see how they want to use it and create the idea. As researchers, we need to analyse these interactions and how the robot changes user behaviour.”

“Robots could one day help organize your day, guide you to a shop, help with cooking, taking medicine, possibly,” continued Andreas. “Essentially help guide you through your day. Look at it as added value. We need to think of having robots as our assistant, but that is not to say they couldn’t possibly also develop as social companions.”

“In 10-20 years, digital will become physical in robotics”, said Sophia. “Physical items will become autonomous, flexible, and able to understand us. This may scare people as machines learn. That’s why it’s important to have robots that enable human contact, so it’s not viewed as a threat, but as support to bring us together.”

All images credit: Visual Outcasts

European Robotics Week is organised by euRobotics and brought together by SPARC, a partnership for robotics in Europe to help maintain and extend Europe’s leadership in robotics. ERW has attracted more than 200,000 people since 2011 to take part in robotics related activities. During the week, research institutes, universities, industry, and activities are open to the public to engage and learn more about robotics.

If you enjoyed this article, you can read more about European Robotics Week below:

• Considering robot care, ethics & future tech at #ERW2016 European Robotics Week
• Robots at your service: Empowering healthy aging at European Robotics Week, 2016
• European Robotics Week #ERW2015 recap and videos
• Major debate on robots & society sets scene for #ERW2015 European Robotics Week

Roboethics panel in Amsterdam.

What ethical issues do we face in providing robot care for the elderly? Is there better acceptance with the public? What should we be mindful of when designing human-robot interactions?

At the #ERW2016 central event, held in Amsterdam 18-22 November, these questions (and more) were discussed, debated, and encouraged by expert panellists hailing from research, industry, academia, and government as well as insightful members in the community. All were welcome to ‘Robots at Your Service’, a multi-track event featuring panel deliberations in robotics regulation, assistive living technologies, and aimed at attracting more youth, and especially girls, into science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM). The event hosted workshops and featured a 48-hour hackathon for designers, makers, coders, engineers, and anyone else who believed healthy ageing should be a societal challenge.

The first panel ‘Roboethics’ focussed on the role robots may have in elderly care and ethical implications. Should robots be regarded as tools, helping with administrative and manual tasks, and also as emotional support? The panel featured Sabine Hauert, (as moderator) President of Robohub and Lecturer at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory; Vincent Muller, Professor of Philosophy and University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds; Andy Bleaden, Funding and Programmes Manager at Stockport Council with a background in social care; Aimee van Wynsberghe, Assistant Professor of Ethics and Technology at the University of Twente and co-founder of the Foundation for Responsible Robotics; and Bennie Mols, science and technology journalist with a special interest in artificial intelligence and robots.

Ethical issues in robot care – There was some initial discussion about ethical considerations in the area of robocare. Ethical in terms of the social-emotional impact of what and whether or not real “care” should come only from human-to-human contact. Some wondered if robots could provide real care, others thought they should continue filling tasks in the 3Ds (dirty, dull, and dangerous) and free up the human carer’s time to be physically/emotionally supportive with patients. Snippets from the panel discussion are below:

“It’s good to have robots specifically tasked on things we don’t want to be doing,” said Benny. “People want human attention. The human brain is really the social brain, we like to connect to other people. Care of people is the most difficult aspect.”

“We are testing robots for use with people who are living well with dementia,” said Andy. “People feel isolated. Dementia could have meant a form of “social leprosy” at one time, and this is now changing across Europe. I’m aware that we have nursing homes that fail regularly because of the standard of care [in the UK]. We are dealing with a lot of people who are feeling that they are isolated. Maybe we need to have that conversation about companionship with robots.”

“What should we be mindful of when designing human-robot interactions?” asked Sabine.

“There always needs to be a human in the loop making sure the human aspects are there,” said Aimee. “The robot is there to help fulfill their role as a caregiver.”

“Engaging people with activities is a really useful way to manage their thoughts and their day,” said Andy. “And it’s also fun. Maybe having an AI programme to engage people.”

“It’s important to consider how can we incorporate ethics into the design process of robots, that way we can have a more proactive approach,” said Aimee. “In a hospital, for example, someone is designated for that person’s care. How will this change when a robot is introduced into that chain?”

“One gentleman told me he’s much more inclined to have a robot nurse help him with showering and dressing, as opposed to a care worker,” said Andy.

“What does the public think about robots for eldercare?” said Sabine.

“One side thinks its creepy, one side thinks they will be great for everything,” said Bennie. “I think we’ll need to find something in the middle.”

“How do we decide these kinds of things?” said Aimee. “Is it by choice? How are we suppose to make a choice? Is it the majority, or by individual personal preferences? Or is it by the government?”

“The best way could be designating enough money to the local governments and letting them decide,” said Andy. “That way they can explore how to care for their citizens.”

An audience question enquired about whether an ‘ethical brochure’ or manual will be created. “We keep contemplating examples, but we need something,” he said. “You also discuss the elderly, but we can also talk about children. Is it ethically correct if a child forms a bond with a robot? What is the borderline between good/bad?”

“People attach value to things,” said Vincent. There are a few considerations: ethics doesn’t quite work like that. You do have to enable people to tackle ethical issues by themselves (empowering the individual). We are developing a position statement from this group.”

“Do we need an ethical framework to drive decisions?” asked Sabine.

“We need guidance to gauge what is it that we want to achieve,” said Vincent. “Some people may say ‘Okay, let’s economise this’. However, we need to ask ourselves: What are the best case consequences and how do we want to achieve this? What aims are we trying to achieve? How high is the percentage of people who need our support? If a robot can be programmed to be ethical, who decides that (roboticist or person). No one really knows the answer just yet. Machine ethics makes us question what ethics is. Do we give the robot life goals and preferences, so it understands consequences? Or, should the robot have decision-making skills so it’s safe and reliable? Lots of questions to consider.”

The second panel focussed on robotics in OUR future. How do we see robotics shaping in the next 10-20 years? The panel featured participants Uwe Haass, (as moderator) Senior Consultant with RoboConsult; Maarten Goos, Professor of Economics and Institutions at the Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.); Francesco Ferro, CEO at Pal Robotics, Sabine Hauert, President of Robohub and Lecturer at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory; Vincent Muller, Professor of Philosophy and University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds; and Anne Bajart, Programme Officer for the European Commission. Snippets from the panel discussion are below:

What can we expect with robotics in Our immediate future – “Robotics has been announced for many years as the ‘future’ technology. But the question is ‘OUR’ robotics future. Where do you see the future of robotics in general? In the next 10-20 years, or even in our lifetimes?” asked Uwe. “Are there new applications popping up?”

“Only a few years ago, people thought robots were too expensive and didn’t want to invest. Now it’s 3x different,” says Anne. “One thing is for sure. Robotics in our future need to be intelligent, otherwise, they won’t be very useful,” she said.

“In the next 10-20 years, I hope to see more robots in our homes,” said Sabine. “Making robots is hard, 10 years is not all that long — Dyson took 10 years of development to make their eye 360. My hope is that we do see several robots who are able to perform simple tasks, I don’t think we’re going to see Rosie the Robot [from the Jetsons], but I’m hoping in our lifetime these things will become a reality. ”

“A few years ago, people were saying robotics was too expensive or people didn’t want to invest in robotics. Now, the situation is completely different. Why is this development now accelerating? Is it for profit, or is it altruism?” asked Uwe.

“Well, the difference is now that you have industrial robotics on the one hand and service robotics on the other,” said Martin. The price in industrial robotics has fallen and it’s adding more robots to the manufacturing processes. So now there’s both low-end services and high-end services.”

“Is there more acceptance with the general public because of service robots?” asked Uwe.

“The public is more inclined to accept robots,” said Vincent. “People are really curious to adopt these things. Children are even more willing to interact with robots. One type of robot that will enter into our lives fairly soon will be autonomous cars. I don’t expect it to be much of an issue. We won’t have terminator robots. I think the public is quite ready for it; it’s the ethical issues that pose an issue.”

“As soon as people see the need and the use of robots, people are less fearful,” said Anne. The never ending question is “will a robot take our job.” We shouldn’t be afraid of the change and should welcome it. Just like every other industrial change so long as we prepare for it and people are trained in the right skills.”

There was also discussion of the many advantages of conducting robotics within Europe. In part because of unique partnerships, like SPARC, but also the collaborative community working together. Indeed, the robotics community is starting to embrace a very global mindset and perhaps could do a bit more risk taking.

“Europe is getting more entrepreneurial. Will this be a barrier for further development?” asked Uwe.

“We definitely need more and more collaborations in the community of robotics manufacturers,” said Francesco. “We have excellent research in Europe. There’s a bit of fear with people losing ideas or competing for money. But there can absolutely be a sustainable business model for robotics which involves sharing.”

“Europe has a lot of advantages with lots of great companies,” said Anne. “Not everything that is the “best” comes out of the US. SPARC is a unique partnership with industry and academia working together. I don’t see why this isn’t just as a good as many companies in the States. I don’t believe in science in isolation. We have to accept that public funding is limited to a certain amount of people. We need to ensure that we are funding not just research, but also innovation.”

“I see a lot of vibrant startups in Bristol, for example, Open Bionics,” said Sabine. “There’s not a European or a US feel. Robotics has a very global mindset. I’m encouraged to see this in Europe. What is tricky is the investment side, there needs to be more risk-taking in Europe so startups feel they can stay in Europe.”

The panel closed with discussions that robotics should be for everyone, and that, not everybody involved in robotics has to be an engineer. No country should be left behind due to lack of technology. In the future, and in terms of how robotics will be, we will need to rethink what we place value on (for example education or health care) and help provide opportunities to everybody.

All images credit: Visual Outcasts

European Robotics Week is organised by euRobotics and brought together by SPARC, a partnership for robotics in Europe to help maintain and extend Europe’s leadership in robotics. ERW has attracted more than 200,000 people since 2011 to take part in robotics related activities. During the week, research institutes, universities, industry, and activities are open to the public to engage and learn more about robotics.

Source: euRobotics

European Robotics Week 2016 (#ERW2016) is kicking off 18-22 November in Amsterdam. The central event ‘Robots at your Service’ is about focussing on robotic technologies to help ageing populations live a healthier, active, and independent life. European Robotics Week celebrates Europe as a world-leader in robotics with typically hundreds of events.

In the 2015 Ageing Report from the European Commission, it’s anticipated that the number of Europeans over 65 will double in 50 years. Caring for those seniors – physically, emotionally and mentally – will be a big undertaking, and experts say there will be a shortage of professionals trained and willing to take on the job.

Photo credit: Keith Bujak. Source: Georgia Tech News Center

This year’s EWR is expected to have over 700 events across Europe. The opening at the Maritime Museum on the 18^th November will feature a number of dignitaries from The Netherlands, and EU officials from the European Commission and Parliament, who will welcome and present the ERW to members of Dutch the public. Presenting keynotes, Khalil Rouhana (DG Connect), Mady Delveux (MEP) and Bernd Liepert (CIO KUKA) will discuss their views for robotics developments and education in Europe. Followed by expert panel discussions about roboethics, our robotics future, and workshops about autonomous vehicles and professional service robots.

“Over the past few years we have seen considerable and growing interest in the ERW and the response from people wanting to engage with their own events have been phenomenal,” said Philip Piatkiewicz, Coordinator ERW, euRobotics. “What I feel makes it such a success are the principals of openness and inclusivity that drive our work, along with an exceptional network of dedicated individuals who form part of our National coordinator network. Together, we have managed to encourage kids and adults alike, from all walks of life, to become not just interested in robotics, but to continue their journey of discovery after the events wrap up for the year.”

Debate panels will be held on the 18 & 19 November about the use of robotics. On the 18th November, Roboethics, (12:30-13:30), will discuss developments in the ethical, legal, and societal aspects of robotics, an important debate that has increased in conversation in the last few years. Our Robotics Future, (14:00- 15:30), a debate around society’s current reaction to robotics technology and what we can expect in the future.  On the 19th, the panel session Robotics for Elderly Care, (11:00-12:30), will consider how robotics can transform healthcare and provide solutions to social health and healthy ageing. Finally, a panel discussion Saturday afternoon about Women in Tech, (13:30-15:00), will feature Nuray Golap (moderator), Elisabeth Schärtl, Franka Buurmeijer, Jacqueline Heinerman, Jurate Keblyte, and Sabine Hauert.

The Hack(athon) for Active & Healthy Ageing – the central track of the event – will be held Friday evening. Multi-disciplinary students, start-ups and scale-ups will collaborate and compete for 48-hours to create the best solutions for this challenge and get the chance to win an accelerator program to bring their concept to life.

The entire schedule and additional information can be found on the website.