Process development for automated solar cell and module production. Task 4: Automated array assembly

Progress in the development of automated solar cell and module production is reported. The unimate robot is programmed for the final 35 cell pattern to be used in the fabrication of the deliverable modules. The mechanical construction of the automated lamination station and final assembly station phases are completed and the first operational testing is underway. The final controlling program is written and optimized. The glass reinforced concrete (GRC) panels to be used for testing and deliverables are in production. Test routines are grouped together and defined to produce the final control program

Experiences of persons with executive dysfunction in disability care using a social robot to execute daily tasks and increase the feeling of independence:Multiple-case study

BACKGROUND: Executive functions are essential for independently navigating nearly all of our daily activities. Executive dysfunction often occurs as a result of a neurodevelopmental disorder. Persons with executive dysfunction experience challenges regarding independent execution of daily tasks. Social robots might support persons with executive dysfunction to execute daily tasks and promote their feeling of independence. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to study the impact of interacting with social robot Tessa on goal attainment in the execution of daily tasks and perceived independence of persons with executive dysfunction. METHODS: In this multiple-case study, 18 participant–caregiver couples were followed up while using Tessa in the home environment for 3 months. Goal attainment on independently performing a self-determined goal was measured by the Goal Attainment Scale, and participant–caregiver couples were interviewed about their experience with their interaction with Tessa and how they perceived Tessa’s impact on their independence. RESULTS: In total, 11 (61%) participants reached their goal after 6 weeks and maintained their goal after 3 months. During the study period, 2 participant–caregiver couples withdrew because of mismatch with Tessa. Participants set goals in the following domains: execution of household tasks; intake of food, water, or medication; being ready in time for an appointment; going to bed or getting out of bed on time; personal care; and exercise. Participants perceived that Tessa increased the feeling of independence by generating more structure, stimulation, and self-direction. Participant–caregiver couples reported that the auditive information provided by Tessa was more effective in coping with executive dysfunction compared to their initial approaches using visual information, and the use of Tessa had a positive impact on their relationship. CONCLUSIONS: This study paid ample time and attention to the implementation of a social robot in daily care practice. The encouraging findings support the use of social robot Tessa for the execution of daily tasks and increasing independence of persons with executive dysfunction in disability care

Thinking with things: An embodied enactive account of mind–technology interaction

Technological artefacts have, in recent years, invited increasingly intimate ways of interaction. But surprisingly little attention has been devoted to how such interactions, like with wearable devices or household robots, shape our minds, cognitive capacities, and moral character. In this thesis, I develop an embodied, enactive account of mind--technology interaction that takes the reciprocal influence of artefacts on minds seriously. First, I examine how recent developments in philosophy of technology can inform the phenomenology of mind--technology interaction as seen through an enactivist lens. Second, I show how an enactive account of remembering can improve operationalizations of the memory palace mnemonic through virtual reality devices. Third, I draw on virtue ethics to argue that an enactivist approach allows us to better grasp the morally shaping aspects of artefacts by looking at social robots. Fourth, I fend off an underlying metaphysical concern about enactivism by arguing that an embodied, enactive account is compatible with the multiple realization of cognitive processes. This principle is often seen as a crucial test favouring accounts such as extended functionalism over enactivism and I argue that some forms of enactivism pass this test as well. Finally, I conclude by considering what the future relationship between enactivism and functionalism may have in store for the study of mind--technology interaction

The Cooperative Board Game THREE. A Test Field for Experimenting with Moral Dilemmas of Human-Robot Interaction

The paper describes the cooperative board game entitled THREE. The game is inspired by the Three Laws of Robotics. We show how this game may be used as an environment for exploring the ethical problems arising from human-robot interaction. We present the idea behind the game, discuss its cooperativeness and analyze the dilemmas encountered by players during the gameplay. We also present and discuss the results of the game evaluation

R. U. R.

R.U.R., or Rossum’s Universal Robots is a play written in 1920 by Karel Čapek, a Czech writer who wrote many plays and novels, many of them with science-fiction and dystopian themes. R.U.R. is perhaps the most well-known of these works in the English-speaking world because it brought the word “robot” into the language. “Robot” is derived from the Czech word meaning “worker.” The play is set in the island headquarters of the R.U.R. corporation. The corporation has been manufacturing artificial beings which resemble humans, but who are tireless workers. They can be mass-produced in large numbers and are being adopted as workers in many countries. In the first scene of the play, they are visited by a young woman, Helena Glory, who aspires to relieve the lot of the robots, who she sees as oppressed. However, in what must be the fastest seduction scene in all drama, she is wooed and agrees to marry Harry Domin, the factory manager, who she has just met. She still however aspires to improve the life of robots and find a way to give them souls. Ultimately, however, this admirable desire leads to disaster for humankind. The play was translated into English, and slightly abridged, by Paul Selver and Nigel Playfair in 1923. This version quickly became popular with both British and American audiences and was well received by critics. [Abstract from Standard eBooks

R.U.R.

R.U.R., or Rossum’s Universal Robots is a play written in 1920 by Karel Čapek, a Czech writer who wrote many plays and novels, many of them with science-fiction and dystopian themes. R.U.R. is perhaps the most well-known of these works in the English-speaking world because it brought the word “robot” into the language. “Robot” is derived from the Czech word meaning “worker.” The play is set in the island headquarters of the R.U.R. corporation. The corporation has been manufacturing artificial beings which resemble humans, but who are tireless workers. They can be mass-produced in large numbers and are being adopted as workers in many countries. In the first scene of the play, they are visited by a young woman, Helena Glory, who aspires to relieve the lot of the robots, who she sees as oppressed. However, in what must be the fastest seduction scene in all drama, she is wooed and agrees to marry Harry Domin, the factory manager, who she has just met. She still however aspires to improve the life of robots and find a way to give them souls. Ultimately, however, this admirable desire leads to disaster for humankind. The play was translated into English, and slightly abridged, by Paul Selver and Nigel Playfair in 1923. This version quickly became popular with both British and American audiences and was well received by critics. [Abstract from Standard eBooks

An Introduction to Ethics in Robotics and AI

This open access book introduces the reader to the foundations of AI and ethics. It discusses issues of trust, responsibility, liability, privacy and risk. It focuses on the interaction between people and the AI systems and Robotics they use. Designed to be accessible for a broad audience, reading this book does not require prerequisite technical, legal or philosophical expertise. Throughout, the authors use examples to illustrate the issues at hand and conclude the book with a discussion on the application areas of AI and Robotics, in particular autonomous vehicles, automatic weapon systems and biased algorithms. A list of questions and further readings is also included for students willing to explore the topic further