Abusing robots – current positions [part 3 of 4]

Continuing our observation of inquiries into the torture of robots, we now turn to the ethical questions raised (by some). Kate Darling – who presented the recent ‘Robotic Dinosaur Abuse Workshop’ in Geneva, examines such questions in a paper entitled – Extending Legal Rights to Social Robots – (presented at the We Robot Conference, University of […]

Abusing robots – current positions [part 2 of 4]

Continuing the discussion regarding the abuse of robots we turn now to a recent lift research workshop conducted in Geneva, Switzerland, entitled – ‘Harming and Protecting Robots : Robotic Dinosaur Abuse’. Kate Darling (who is a ‘research  specialist’ at MIT’s Media Lab) and Hannes Gassert (who is a ‘technology activist’ ) presented the workshop in which […]

Abusing robots – current positions [part 1 of 4]

“The shocks are becoming too much.” “Please, please stop.” “My circuits cannot handle the voltage.” “I refuse to go on with the experiment.” “That was too painful, the shocks are hurting me.” The dialogue above may remind readers of Stanley Milgram’s disturbing (and now-classic) psychology experiments on authority and obedience (1963). But there’s a difference. […]