Ethical Concerns when Robots Assist Eldery People

Abstract

There are ethical concerns about the introduction of assistive robots (and their advanced and intrusive technology) in the life of elderly people, potentially suffering from some form of dementia. It may imply that some ethical aspects (e.g. loss of autonomy, independence, intimacy) are questioned, together with psychological problems (feelings of isolation, emotional attachment to an artificial being). An important input in this new field of assistive robots is the opinions, needs and requirements of the intended users: elderly people themselves, their informal careers (relatives) and the professional careers. A relevant number of research projects have been carried out, but there still is a lack of enough number of evaluations. There is an important pending work: more specific definition of standards, binding legislation, more research projects are needed regarding the ethical implications of the use of these robots by people suffering from cognitive or physical disabilities.