BEST SOCIAL INNOVATION IMPACT
Interview
Franziska Kirstein
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INNOVATOR |
Introduce yourself
to the reader
Your name
My name is Franziska Kirstein and I am Senior Scientific Domain Lead at Blue Ocean Robotics.
Your professional background
I have worked in interdisciplinary teams in the field of Human-Robot Interaction since 2012. My work combines robotics industry with academic research in international collaborations. Lately, I have been focusing on robotics for sustainability and ethics in robot development. I am a communication designer by education but chose to work in robotics to explore design opportunities from a user-centred approach. I was especially curious about how robotics technology can be made easier for users and how its introduction impacts our lives. Robots will for sure be part of our future way of living and
indeed they hold great benefits for humanity and our planet.
Your passion for what you do
I am passionate about contributing to a responsible development of robots to achieve a positive impact for all stakeholders and our environment.
Did you apply as a Researcher or Innovator?
I applied as an Innovator for the NGI Explorers program together with Blue Ocean Robotics, who develop, produce, and sell professional service robots.
A company you represent
Blue Ocean Robotics
University/Research department you represent?
Why is your project important?
What is the problem you are trying to solve?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics hold much potential to address social, economic, and environmental problems and can increase quality of life. AI already significantly affects the functioning of our society, and has thus prompted a widespread debate over the benefits and drawbacks for humanity. More research is needed on the consequences of equipping robots with AI.
Combining robotics and AI generates endless new capabilities for robots. However, it will also change our society in ways that are yet difficult to predict. Intelligent robots can make important decisions that we might not be able to influence or even understand. Advances in AI and robotics are accelerating and are increasingly introduced to our everyday life’s. The challenge of the future will be to prepare for and respond to the impact. The UNESCO member states just adopted the first global agreement on Ethics of AI, which shows how important this topic is - but also how much more work needs to be done in this area. My project focused on how roboticists and robotics companies can
contribute to this.
What is unique in your approach/ process/ methodology?
Research within ethics of robotics and AI is a young field. Thus, results are often based on theoretical assumptions or scientific results from the field of ethics in AI. However, the introduction of AI based robots can have different ethical consequences than the one of AI, mainly due to the additional embodiment. The approach used in my project is unique because it makes use of novel data based on applied experience from industry and a real-world use case.
The use case is based on the Patient Transfer Rehabilitation (PTR) Robot. It provides a more efficient and flexible alternative, that benefits both patient and caregiver and integrates rehabilitation in the daily care routines.
The PTR Robot is currently operated by healthcare professionals. However, in the near future, AI features such as autonomous navigation, intelligent rehabilitation support through e.g., emotion recognition or gait analysis are planned. Thus, it represents the ideal use case to investigate how to make ethics practices an integrated part of commercial robot development.
What are the tangible results you have achieved?
The result is a toolbox to integrate ethical decision making in their everyday practice. It gives robot developers a good overview on the topic so they can get familiar with it without spending many resources themselves.
It highlights why ethics management is important when developing artificially intelligent robots, outlines potential ethical issues and suggests useful literature. Finally, it describes guiding principles on how to avoid and deal with ethical issues, including practical implementation tips. The goal is for everyone in the organization to be qualified in identifying and addressing ethical issues.
Why was collaboration with the US your interest in the first place? Why did you apply to the NGI Explorers programme?
The collaboration with a US University through the NGI Explorers program was interesting for me to increase my network in the US and experience a research exchange over there. I have a good network in Europe based on 10 years of working in EU-funded projects, but only a few good contacts in the US. I had visited Universities and labs in the US before, but never for a longer time. The opportunity of spending three months at a US University and focusing on a dedicated project made me apply for the NGI Explorers program. Research exchanges between companies and Universities are usually difficult to organize, even more between Europe and the US. The NGI Explorers program made it easy to collaborate with prestigious US Universities like Washington University in Saint Louis. It not only offered financial support, but also helped with the organization.
In what way did your US node help you throughout the project development? (e.g., Methodology, machinery, test beds, market, networks, ... you name it). Please elaborate on the support and the benefits.
The support received by the US Node was excellent. I did not only receive support from my host department, the Electrical & Systems Engineering at McKelvey School of Engineering, but from experts at other schools e.g., business, medical and social science as well. Such an exchange was important to the success of my project because it relied heavily on input from different stakeholders during in-depth interviews, robot demos or workshops. The University also offered mentoring support during more academic activities of my research such as the literature analysis.
Besides the project activities, the University offered events to develop my skills, connect with professionals from various disciplines and learn about US culture, business practices, and the healthcare system.
How do you see your project development in the future?
What impact will the results have on society or environment?
The toolbox makes it easier to consider ethical issues concerning e.g., data handling, environmental impact, accountability, diversity, distribution of technology, transparency, and explainability when developing AI based robots. Reflection, transparency, and the inclusion of all stakeholders in the development process is emphasized. This helps to consider the impact deriving from assigning relevant aspects of society to intelligent robots. The result is the avoidance of negative consequences preventatively rather than after the introduction to society. This can have major positive impact on our society and the planet, contributing to a better future and increasing our trust in technology.
What impact do you foresee on your further development/ research/
career/ product or service growth
The toolbox is currently being discussed and tested at Blue Ocean Robotics internally, to evaluate how it can be integrated in the development process and the organization. However, the goal is to share the results with other robotics companies and to inspire them to care beyond the law and make use the toolbox in their own way.
What is the ultimate result you are trying to achieve?
In my opinion, robotics companies have a responsibility to consider the impact of their solutions in the real world during the development process. But especially start-ups and SMEs often already have enough challenges with their technical development and a pressured timeline to get their product on the market. There is a substantial amount of documentation concerning the ethics of AI, thus it can be difficult, costly and time consuming for robotics companies to get a comprehensive view. In addition,
achieving a positive impact is more complex than one might think. Creating positive impact in one direction, does not mean that a negative impact is prevented in another. Even if a company wants to do good naturally, it can never be sure to truly do so until it reflects transparently on its actions and their impact. The toolbox can inspire robotics companies to include a more sophisticated ethics management as part of their holistic long-term strategy.
Nevertheless, companies can support the change, but it will be difficult for a company to take responsibility on their own and evaluate the ethical impact of their development without any guidance.
Ethical and legal aspects of AI/robotics need clarification to inform regulatory policies on applications and the future development of these technologies. It is therefore also important to increase scientific research, such as this project, on issues concerning the societal impact deriving from assigning relevant aspects of society to AI and robots. The results can support policy makers to understand how it is possible to govern the relevant processes of change. This will then also help our society to make more informed decisions about the usage of robots.
What are your next plans? Any sustainability in collaboration with the
US Node?
There are still several future activities planned. The project will be presented in the open classroom webinar series of the University in May, and the PTR Robot will be used as a case story in the ethics course. I am still in contact with the US Node, and I am sure further opportunities for collaboration will come up!
What is the biggest benefit the NGI program has offered to the development of your idea/ product/ service/ career? e.g. What was possible thanks to the NGI that it wouldn’t without?
The NGI Explorers program made it possible for me to start working on this project in the first place.
The recognition and financial support of the program gave the topic higher priority and the possibility for me to spend time on this research. The collaboration experience has also clearly supported me in my career and personal development. The US Node offered various University related events that made it possible for me to expand my area of expertise but also learn about other areas through e.g.,
free learning activities such as conference, pitching competitions, webinars, lectures, student meetups. Especially the professional contacts and friendships created during the stay will continue after the project.
What is your reflection on the award you received from the NGI Explorers program and recognition of your efforts by external parties?
I am really honored that my project was selected for this special award, showing how important ethics in robotics & AI is. The other NGI Explorers presented amazing projects and products at the Oscar’s event, so I really appreciate that my project and this important topic has been given attention with this award.
It has given me even more energy to work further on this and it will hopefully inspire others to consider ethical decision making when they develop AI based robots.