Tag: Social Robotics

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The Latest Findings in Social Robotics

The proceedings of ICSR 2022 were published in early 2023. Included is the paper “The CARE-MOMO Project” by Oliver Bendel and Marc Heimann. From the abstract: “In the CARE-MOMO project, a morality module (MOMO) with a morality menu (MOME) was developed at the School of Business FHNW in the context of machine ethics. This makes it possible to transfer one’s own moral and social convictions to a machine, in this case the care robot with the name Lio. The current model has extensive capabilities, including motor, sensory, and linguistic. However, it cannot yet be personalized in the moral and social sense. The CARE-MOMO aims to eliminate this state of affairs and to give care recipients the possibility to adapt the robot’s ‘behaviour’ to their ideas and requirements. This is done in a very simple way, using sliders to activate and deactivate functions. There are three different categories that appear with the sliders. The CARE-MOMO was realized as a prototype, which demonstrates the functionality and aids the company in making concrete decisions for the product. In other words, it can adopt the morality module in whole or in part and further improve it after testing it in facilities.” The book (part II of the proceedings) can be downloaded or ordered via link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-24670-8.

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Gendering Hugvie

On December 13th, 2022, the hybrid workshop “Realization of Avatar-Symbiotic Society” was held at the ICSR. It was organized by Dr. Takahiro Miyashita (ATR) and Prof. Dr. Takashi Yoshimi (Shibaura-IT). The description of the workshop was as follows: “This workshop aims at presenting the ongoing progress of the challenges on the Moonshot (MS) human-centered long-term R&D program. It will discuss by focusing on the goal 1 of the MS dealing with the future realization of an avatar-symbiotic society and cybernetic avatars (CAs). In the workshop, semi-autonomous tele-operated robots and CG agents are called CAs. The participants will discuss with speakers who are researchers related to CAs technology about the avatar-symbiotic society which enables to freely and actively participate in society for every person.” (Website ICSR) The first lecture entitled “Avatar and the future society” was given by Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University). He introduced Erica, Telenoid, and Hugvie, among others. Hugvie is a technically expandable doll that can be hugged. He also introduced his “Avatar Infrastructure”: “Anyone, including the elderly and people with disabilities, will be able to freely participate in various activities with abilities beyond ordinary people while expanding their physical, cognitive, and perceptual abilities using a large number of CAs.” Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel mentioned to Hiroshi Ishiguro that two of his former students, Nhi Tran Hoang Yen and Thang Hoang Vu from Ho Chi Minh City, interpreted his Hugvie as a female figure and designed a male figur (Gendering Hugvie) as part of a project on social robots. The roboticist from Osaka replied that his Hugvie doll had no gender, but noted the reception with interest. Other presentations with exciting discussions followed. More information on the conference via www.icsr2022.it.

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The CARE-MOMO in Florence

From December 13 to 16, 2022, the ICSR took place, next to Robophilosophy the most important conference on social robotics. Oliver Bendel and Marc Heimann were participating with their paper “The CARE-MOMO Project”. They presented it in a talk on the very first morning at the workshop “Robot Companionship: Applications and Challenges”. They also had a poster presentation on it on Thursday (December 15, 2022). With the help of the morality module, which includes the proven morality menu, care recipients can transfer their moral and social ideas to a care robot like Lio from F&P Robotics (Photo: F&P Robotics). The presentation was well received by the crowded room, including the Chair, who found the approach very interesting, as he pointed out several times. The workshop program can be downloaded here. More information about the conference is available at www.icsr2022.it.

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The CARE-MOMO Project

Two of the most important conferences for social robotics are Robophilosophy and ICSR. After Robophilosophy, a biennial, was last held in Helsinki in August 2022, ICSR is now coming up in Florence (13 – 16 December 2022). “The 14th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR 2022) brings together researchers and practitioners working on the interaction between humans and intelligent robots and on the integration of social robots into our society. … The theme of this year’s conference is Social Robots for Assisted Living and Healthcare, emphasising on the increasing importance of social robotics in human daily living and society.” (Website ICSR) The committee sent out notifications by October 15, 2022. The paper “The CARE-MOMO Project” by Oliver Bendel and Marc Heimann was accepted. This is a project that combines machine ethics and social robotics. The invention of the morality menu was transferred to a care robot for the first time. The care recipient can use sliders on the display to determine how he or she wants to be treated. This allows them to transfer their moral and social beliefs and ideas to the machine. The morality module (MOMO) is intended for the Lio assistance robot from F&P Robotics. The result will be presented at the end of October 2022 at the company headquarters in Glattbrugg near Zurich. More information on the conference via www.icsr2022.it.

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First Geriatronics Summit

The goal of the First Geriatronics Summit is to highlight current and planned robotics solutions in the context of geriatronics and to raise awareness of the relevant technologies among policymakers. According to its website, the event, which will take place on June 20 and 21, 2022, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany), aims to answer the following questions: 1. How can geriatronics be used to address the growing shortage and geographic disparities in caregivers and overburdened healthcare? 2. How can robotics and AI promote independence, mobility, self-determination and health for older people for as long as possible? 3. What are the rules of autonomy and how can moral, ethical, cultural, and personal challenges and dilemmas be addressed for geriatrics? Invited scientists are Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tamim Asfour (KIT Karlsruhe), Dr. Sylvain Calinon (EPFL), Dr. Tadej Petrič (Jožef Stefan Institute), Dr. Matteo Laffranchi (Italian Institute of Technology – IIT), Prof. Adriana Tapus (Institut Polytechnique de Paris), Prof. Jim Tørresen (University of Oslo), Prof. Dr.- Ing. Sami Haddadin (TUM), Prof. Dr. med. Alena M. Buyx (TUM), Prof. Dr. oec. Oliver Bendel (Hochschule für Wirtschaft FHNW), Prof. Dr. Christian Djeffal (TUM), Prof. Vera Lúcia Raposo (University of Coimbra), Prof. Dr. Lee Bygrave (University of Oslo), and Prof. Dr. Martin Ebers (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin/University of Tartu). The event is supported by the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Volkswagen Foundation, among others.

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Robots and Cops

Robophilosophy 2022 is the fifth event in the biennial Robophilosophy Conference Series. It “will explore the societal significance of social robots for the future of social institutions with its usual broad scope, embracing both theoretical and practical angles” (CfP Robophilosophy). It “is an invitation to philosophers and other SSH researchers, as well as researchers in social robotics and HRI, to investigate from interdisciplinarily informed perspectives whether and how social robotics as an interdisciplinary endeavour can contribute to the ability of our institutions to perform their functions in society” (CfP Robophilosophy). Social institutions include retirement and nursing homes, strip clubs and brothels, monasteries and seminaries, and police departments. As announced by the organizers on April 15, Oliver Bendel (School of Business FHNW) will have the opportunity to present his paper entitled “Robots in Policing” at the conference. It is about how service robots and social robots are changing policing as “social work”. In addition, a poster by Katharina Kühne and Melinda Mende (University of Potsdam) as well als Oliver Bendel entitled “Tamagotchi on our couch: Are social robots perceived as pets?” was accepted.

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Extended Deadline for the Robophilosophy 2022 Conference

Robophilosophy 2022 is the fifth event in the biennial Robophilosophy Conference Series. The first call for papers (CfP) was published in November 2021, the second at the end of 2021, and the final on February 25, 2022. The extended deadline for submissions of extended abstracts and full papers is March 10, 2022. The event “will explore the societal significance of social robots for the future of social institutions with its usual broad scope, embracing both theoretical and practical angles” (CfP Robophilosophy). It “is an invitation to philosophers and other SSH researchers, as well as researchers in social robotics and HRI, to investigate from interdisciplinarily informed perspectives whether and how social robotics as an interdisciplinary endeavour can contribute to the ability of our institutions to perform their functions in society” (CfP Robophilosophy). Topics of interest are robots and social institutions in general, robots in law and policing, robots in healthcare, and robots and social justice, amongst others. The conference will be held at the University of Helsinki in Finland from August 16-19, 2022. More information via www.rp2022.org.

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ARTE about Social Robots

Since January 20, 2022, the ARTE broadcast “Werden wir Roboter lieben?” (“Will we love robots?”) has been available online. On February 19, 2022, the classic version will follow on the German-French culture channel. Tanja Küchle has masterfully presented and implemented a difficult topic. “According to estimates, there are now more than 1.7 million robots with social characteristics worldwide. They care for, educate, help, and entertain us. There have also long been highly engineered sex robots. But can these machines actually develop feelings – or even feel love?” (Website ARTE, own translation) Prof. Dr. Peter Robinson, computer scientist at the University of Cambridge, Dr. Hooman Samani, roboticist at the University of Plymouth, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer, cognitive psychologist at the University of Potsdam, Prof. Dr. Catrin Misselhorn, philosopher at the University of Göttingen, and Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel, information and machine ethicist at the School of Business FHNW, have their say. Oliver Bendel has been researching conversational agents and social robots for more than 20 years and has published the Springer book “Social Robots” at the end of 2021. More information on the program via www.arte.tv/de/videos/101938-004-A/42-die-antwort-auf-fast-alles/ (photo: ARTE).

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CfP for Robophilosophy 2022

Robophilosophy 2022 is the fifth event in the biennial Robophilosophy Conference Series. The first call for papers (CfP) was published in November 2021, and the second at the end of 2021. The extended deadline for submissions of extended abstracts and full papers is February 28, 2022. The event “will explore the societal significance of social robots for the future of social institutions with its usual broad scope, embracing both theoretical and practical angles” (CfP Robophilosophy). It “is an invitation to philosophers and other SSH researchers, as well as researchers in social robotics and HRI, to investigate from interdisciplinarily informed perspectives whether and how social robotics as an interdisciplinary endeavour can contribute to the ability of our institutions to perform their functions in society” (CfP Robophilosophy). Topics of interest include robots and social institutions in general, robots in law and policing, robots in healthcare, and robots and social justice. The conference will be held at the University of Helsinki in Finland from August 16-19, 2022. More information via www.rp2022.org.

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Will We Love Robots?

“It is estimated that there are now more than 1.7 million robots with social attributes worldwide. They care for, educate, help, and entertain us. There have also long been highly engineered sex robots. But can these machines actually develop feelings – or even feel love?” (Website ARTE, own translation) ARTE asks this question in the series “42 – Die Antwort auf fast alles” (“42 – The Answer to Almost Everything”). The program “Werden wir Roboter lieben?” (“Will we love robots?”) will be broadcast on February 19, 2022. The online version is already available from January 20. Dr. Hooman Samani, a robotics expert at the University of Plymouth, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Potsdam, and Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel, an information and machine ethicist at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft FHNW, will have their say. Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel has been researching conversational agents and social robots for more than 20 years and has published the Springer book “Soziale Roboter” (“Social Robots”) at the end of 2021. More information on the program via www.arte.tv/de/videos/101938-004-A/42-die-antwort-auf-fast-alles/.