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Ethical Implications of COBOT Implementation

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Division (ETHICS) Technical Session_Tuesday June 27, 9:15 - 10:45

Tagged Division

Engineering Ethics Division (ETHICS)

Page Count

19

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43407

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43407

Download Count

197

Paper Authors

biography

C.J. Witherell Grand Valley State University

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CJ Witherell is a graduate student studying Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering at Grand Valley State University. Their undergraduate minor in philosophy inspired them to promote deep thinking, ethical reasoning, compassion, diversity, and equity-focused design within the engineering field. As the 2022 Wisner Engineering Fellow, they are developing a new product for Gentex Corporation in Zeeland, Michigan.

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Abstract

The following report explores new ethical considerations in the manufacturing industry that have arisen due to the advent of the fourth industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0. The concept of Industry 4.0 was researched to identify its impact on the manufacturing industry. One significant change of the era, namely the increased implementation of collaborative robots (COBOTs), was explored to determine the associated risks and their ethical ramifications. The risks of physical harm, cyber-attack, and electromagnetic interference-related malfunctions were identified and discussed, as well as their respective methods of risk mitigation. Then, the ethical implications were analyzed using the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics as well as the Utilitarian and Respect for Persons ethical frameworks. The rise in popularity of COBOTs in manufacturing has introduced the ethical responsibility to protect employees from new risks including physical harm during normal use and malfunctions due to cyber-attack and electromagnetic interference. Current and future engineers must be educated about the risks associated with COBOTs and their resultant ethical responsibilities.

Witherell, C. (2023, June), Ethical Implications of COBOT Implementation Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43407

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