Baltimore , Maryland
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023
June 28, 2023
Engineering Ethics Division (ETHICS) Technical Session_Tuesday June 27, 9:15 - 10:45
Engineering Ethics Division (ETHICS)
19
10.18260/1-2--43407
https://peer.asee.org/43407
197
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.
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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