In Fall 2024, I took the course Ethics for Design, Robotics, and AI, which critically examines the ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence. The course explored applications ranging from autonomous vehicles and social robots to healthcare systems and automated decision-making tools. It combined contemporary philosophical perspectives with applied ethics frameworks to analyze real-world cases, fostering the ability to identify, evaluate, and address ethical issues in technological design.
As part of this course, I engaged in group projects, individual case studies, and practical design activities that emphasized ethical reasoning, value-sensitive design, and crafting solutions that prioritize transparency, accountability, and human-centered approaches to technology. This repository showcases the culmination of that work, demonstrating my ability to apply ethical principles to the design and evaluation of cutting-edge technologies.
This repository includes four projects, with two completed as individual work and two as group collaborations.
- File:
Pepper.pdf - This project examines the use of metaphors to analyze human-robot interactions, focusing on how different perspectives, such as "Sweet Host" and "Assistant," shape perceptions of Pepper, a humanoid robot.
- Key Topics: Emotional engagement, anthropomorphism, and functional efficiency.
- Ethical Focus: Challenges and implications of metaphors in designing ethical and effective human-robot interactions.
- File:
Jibo.pdf - This project analyzes the ethical implications of Jibo, a social robot designed for home use, focusing on its privacy and anthropomorphism challenges.
- Key Topics: Privacy risks from cloud-based data processing and emotional manipulation from human-like design.
- Ethical Focus: Proposes a design solution for local data processing to enhance privacy and user control.
- File:
Infinity_Gauntlet.pdf - This project explores the ethical dilemmas surrounding the Infinity Gauntlet (IG), a fictional artifact capable of erasing half the universe's population.
- Key Topics: Critique of Thanos's utilitarian rationale, impact on lives, and disregard for individual autonomy.
- Ethical Focus: Proposes a democratic deliberation system to ensure collective input and transparency.
- File:
Car_Technologies.pdf - This project investigates ethical tensions in advanced in-cabin car technologies, such as sensors and emotion-monitoring systems.
- Key Topics: Safety versus privacy and profitability versus public accountability.
- Ethical Focus: Highlights the importance of balancing innovation, user well-being, and ethical data use using a storytelling approach.
- Each project is organized into individual PDF files for easy access.
- Refer to the detailed explanations in each file to explore the ethical frameworks, tools, and solutions proposed.