The ethics of robots

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry and a prolific author of science fiction and science books, introduced what is known as "The Three Laws of Robotics" in his short story "Runaround" - the first story in the collection I, Robot, 1942. The three laws are:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

He added another law, which precedes the first three:

0. A robot may not harm humanity or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Today robots of all kinds are part of business, manufacturing, medical care, and almost all areas of society, so having a focus on ethical guidelines is even more important than when Asimov wrote his stories.

The problem with these laws today, however, is that they focus on the behavior of the robot -- instead of the behavior of the robotics engineer.

In considering the ethics of robots and robotics, there must also be a focus on the laws that are in place to ensure ethical behavior on the part of the engineers designing and building robots. However, it seems that laws have not yet advanced to the level of the robotics systems being built.

These considerations are the focus of a talk called "Robotics and the Law," given by Kate Darling, a Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab. The talk is part of the Lightning Presentations available on FORA-TV.

The video (7:14): http://fora.tv/2013/11/20/Lightning_Presentations_Round_2

I wrote about FORA-TV in my blog of 3 November 2013 ("Great source of videos for the classroom") as an excellent source of short videos about many technical and engineering topics - as well as other topic areas.

The areas she focuses on in the video, which she calls the 3 issues, are:

• safety
• privacy
• social issues

In class discussions about this talk, my students have agreed that these three issues are also relevant to all the areas of engineering they could think of. So there's a lot of material here for the classroom.

Kate Darling

Kate Darling is an extremely interesting speaker - not only is she lively and well-spoken, but she is also passionate about her topic. And it shows. On the website "about.me," her description heading is: Mistress of Machines. Robot Ethics. Intellectual Property.

The description of her says:

"Research Specialist at MIT Media Lab. Fellow at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the Yale Information Society Project. Survived law school. Holds a doctorate in sciences. Passionate about the near-term societal impact of robotic technology, rethinking copyright and patent law, and caffeinated beverages."

http://about.me/katedarling

My students love this description, since it makes her sound very human, and very interesting.

World-changing ideas summit

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

If we agree with Einstein, then the presentations at this summit will certainly serve as inspiration to students in any engineering area. On October 21, 2014 BBC Future presented "the first-ever World-Changing Ideas Summit, which will showcase the power of bringing forward-thinking leaders together to build a better tomorrow. Big ideas and major challenges in science, technology and health will be discussed by top minds."

Event website: http://www.worldchangingideassummit.com/

BBC Future website page with article announcing the summit:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140917-ideas-that-will-change-the-world

The talks presented at the summit were filmed, and a number of them are now available on the BBC Future website: http://www.bbc.com/future/columns/world-changing-ideas

The talks available so far cover a wide variety of interests and engineering areas, and would probably appeal to most students.

1)  Everybody spies, or nobody does (5:19) - Bruce Schneier, Security Technologist & Chief Technical Officer, Co3 Systems Inc. He talks about why we need to choose between security and surveillance, saying that we can only build technologies that are secure for all users, or are vulnerable to all attackers.

2)  The future of the internet (18:50) - Julius Genachowski, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and current Managing Director and partner at The Carlyle Group. He discusses what the future of the internet is: dark web, regulation, privacy ...?

3)  Is a robot world good for us? (17:54) - Kate Darling of MIT, Heather Knight of Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, Andrea Thomaz of Georgia Institute of Technology, and Fernando Orellana of Union College discuss the question of how we will relate to tomorrow's robots.

4)  Empowering the next generation of world-changing ideas (19:33) - Alfred Spector, Google's Vice-President of Research. He discusses the benefits of schooling fuelled by technology, and asks: In a world where information is all around us, how do we educate the next generation of innovators?

5)  Can Tech create a new Renaissance? (8:15) - Alexis Ohanian, Reddit founder, describes the internet's next big trend, citing everything from "To Kill a Mockingbird" to lolcats.

6)  Why colonize other planets? (6:44) - Jeffrey Hoffman, a retired astronaut who spent more than 50 days in orbit on NASA missions. He discusses the challenges facing space colonists.

7)  Why everybody needs a drone (9:07) - Mary "Missy" Cummings, former fighter pilot and current Director of Humans and Autonomy Laboratory, Duke University. Could drones allow us all to become pilots? Missy Cummings says they are a vital step that brings us closer to a world with flying cars.

8)  Just because we can live longer doesn't mean we should (24:35) - Ezekiel Emanuel, physician and bioethicist. He doesn't want to live past 75, and explains why he thinks extending later life is wrong.

The presentations are of varying lengths, but each one is presented clearly, with relevant visuals. Students can either choose which one they want to watch on their own - and report the information to the group - or choose one to watch together as a basis for discussion.

History of air conditioning

Willis H. Carrier (photo from ASME webiste)

In my last post, I wrote about the website of ASME - the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It's a good source of material for many areas of engineering, but now that I'm teaching new groups of mechanical engineering students, I thought it would be a good idea to look through this website for specific texts that would be both interesting and relevant for them.

The article I've chosen is Global Cooling: The History of Air Conditioning.

The article: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/technology-and-society/global-cooling-the-history-of-air-conditioning 

In the article it states, "In 2000, air conditioning/refrigeration was named among the 10 greatest mechanical engineering achievements of the 20th century, according to a survey of ASME members."

Students can brainstorm what they think the other 9 achievements are. (Answers: automobile, the Apollo mission to the Moon, power generation, agricultural mechanization, aeroplane (sic), the mass production of integrated circuits, CAD and CAM, bioengineering, and codes and standards.)

The text is a good example for students to use as a model of an essay explaining what the achievement is and why it is "great."

The organization is very clear: there's an introduction mentioning what it is and what it does; then a short note of the historical roots of the achievement; then "the first modern air conditioner" - who invented it, when, why and how; then how today's air conditioners have been updated and improved; and finally, plans for future innovations for the air conditioner. The end of the text (conclusion) summarizes the impact of the air conditioner: how it has changed "the quality of life in America and the industrialized world" and "played a major role in migration patterns and economic development in the U.S., allowing millions of people to live and work and establish businesses in locations known for their hot and steamy climates."

Students can brainstorm further impacts of air conditioning and refrigeration on society, the economy and technology. (See also the reference to the Infographic at the end of this post.) They could also use this text as a model for writing their own text about one of the other achievements in mechanical engineering of the 20th century that they brainstormed.

Students can also be guided to focus on the short technical descriptions of the various developments in innovations of air conditioning. For example:

• Borrowing from the concepts of mechanical refrigeration established in earlier years, Carrier’s system sent air through coils filled with cold water, cooling the air while at the same time removing moisture to control room humidity.
• In 1933, the Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America developed an air conditioner using a belt-driven condensing unit and associated blower, mechanical controls, and evaporator coil, and this device became the model in the growing U.S. marketplace for air-cooling systems.
• Today’s air conditioners, while operating on the same fundamental science as Carrier’s 1933 system, incorporate advancements in vapor compression, diagnostics and controls, electronic sensors, materials, and energy efficiency. Carrier’s new top-of-the line central air conditioner, the Infinity, is far different than the founder’s early models, featuring advanced components including a two-stage scroll compressor for quieter, more energy-efficient performance.
• In the next wave of technology development, Ingersoll Rand and other manufacturers will advance smart technologies to interface their systems with the national electric grid, allowing units to be regulated according to geography and changing weather conditions. Grid interoperability could push air-conditioning research down the pathway of fully variable speed systems, further reducing energy consumption.

Language work

The language of the text itself is also useful for focused work on collocations, adverbs, relative clauses, compound adjectives, linking/transition words, and a variety of verb tenses.

Collocations with energy / efficiency:

• energy efficiency
• energy-efficient performance
• energy efficiency standards
• minimum efficiency standards
• reduce energy consumption
• Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)
• energy cost savings
• reduce energy usage
• reducing home energy consumption
• energy-efficient home

Adverb-verb collocations (and one adverb-adjective collocation):

• a manually powered rotary fan
• systems have progressively increased
• adjust home temperatures remotely by computer
• manufacturers have successfully increased
• the pathway of fully variable speed systems

Relative clauses (both restrictive and non-restrictive):

• These comfort units that homeowners activate ...
• ... has roots in second century China, where an inventor named ...
• ... Benjamin Franklin, who in 1758 conducted experiments ...
• ... Willis Haviland Carrier, a skilled engineer who began experimenting ...
• ... at Ingersoll Rand, Davidson, NC, which markets the popular ...
• ... control kits that automate the operation ...

Use of hyphens for compound adjectives: 

• a belt-driven condensing unit
• air-cooling systems
• new top-of-the-line central air conditioner
• a two-stage scroll compressor
• more energy-efficient performance
• air-conditioning systems
• web-enabled cell phones
• high-end models
• microprocessor-based diagnostic and control kits
• air-flow system
• off-site computers
• e-mail alerts
• energy-efficient home

Linking/transition words:

• as
• according to
• also 
• while at the same time
• the same ... as
• different than
• including
• particularly
• like
• in addition to
• further aiding
• further reducing
• while
• even

Verb tenses used:

• future with will
• present simple
• past simple
• present progressive
• present perfect progressive
• present perfect
• (use of gerunds)

The sentences with these tenses are good examples of the use of the tense in order to explain to students why these tenses are used.

For an interesting, colorful Infographic ("Air Conditioning Facts & History"), see the website of The Air Conditioning Company:

http://www.airconco.com/air_conditioning_facts/ 

The Infographic includes "Top 10 Fun Facts," which lists various other impacts of air conditioning.