Scientists, lawyers mull effects of home robots
From: ECN Magazine - 12/07/2009

Eric Horvitz illustrates the potential dilemmas of living with robots by
telling the story of how he once got stuck in an elevator at Stanford
Hospital with a droid the size of a washing machine. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.ecnmag.com/News/2009/12/industry-news-home-robots/

Links:
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
http://www.aaai.org/home.html

Ronald Arkin
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/aimosaic/faculty/arkin/

Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots
http://www.amazon.com/Governing-Lethal-Behavior-Autonomous-Robots/dp/1420085948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239284045&sr=8-1"

CS 4002 Robots and Society
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2008/cs4002a_spring/

On the Ethical Quandaries of a Practicing Roboticist: A first-hand look
http://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/20527/1/ArkinEthicalv2.pdf

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Scientists, Lawyers Mull Effects of Home Robots
From: Associated Press - 12/05/2009
By: Brooke Donald

Scientists and legal scholars are studying the likely effects of the
inevitable bond that will form between humans and robots in the coming
decade. Although robots have been interacting with humans outside the home
for years, recently there has been an increase in home robots. By 2015,
personal robot sales will exceed $5 billion, according to Allied Business
Intelligence. Microsoft's Eric Horvitz, president of the Association for the
Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), recently assembled a team of
scientists to explore the future of human-robot interactions. "As we rely
more and more on automated systems, we have to think of the implications,"
Horvitz says. "It is part of being a responsible scientist." A report on
their discussions is due next year. As home robots become more sophisticated,
questions about product liability come into question. A recent panel
discussion at Stanford Law School said the original manufacturer might not be
liable if a robot started acting improperly. "Robots can often be instructed,
they can be programmed, you can have software that is built upon by others,"
says Stanford's Ryan Calo. AAAI recommends more research into the
psychological reactions humans have to personal robots. The group also
suggests that robots be designed with the ability to explain their reasoning. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.physorg.com/news179255617.html