Talk on Care Robots at the University of Geneva

On 5 June 2023, Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel will give a talk on „Care robots from an ethical perspective“ at the Institute of Ethics, History and Humanities (iEH2) of the University of Geneva. The event will take place in room A04.2910 (CMU). Care and therapy robots can be understood as service robots and in many cases also as social robots. In the talk by Professor Dr. Oliver Bendel from Zurich, the goals, tasks, and characteristics will be clarified and, based on this, considerations will be made from the perspective of ethics. In the end, it should become clear which types of robots and prototypes or products exist in the healthcare sector, what purposes they serve, what functions they assume, and what implications and consequences this has for individuals and society. Care robots may contribute to personal autonomy while weakening informational autonomy. Therapy robots may enhance personal performance and satisfaction, but in individual cases they may also violate human dignity. It is important to design service robots and social robots in the healthcare sector in such a way that they meet as many requirements and needs as possible and are useful tools for caregivers and those in need of care. Disciplines such as machine ethics can help in this regard. Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel is the editor of several relevant standard works, including „Pflegeroboter“ („Care Robots“, 2018) and „Soziale Roboter“ („Social Robots“, 2021). He has also advised the German Bundestag on this topic. More information via www.unige.ch/medecine/ieh2/fr/la-une/prochain-colloque-ieh2/.

Fig.: A sculpture in Geneva