Policy Design for Robots in Public Spaces

Rapid advances in digital technologies have allowed robots to become more autonomous and efficacious than ever before. Future developments in robotics hold the potential to transform human robot interactions. We can expect to see robots performing a variety of functions in public spaces. Possibilities exist for robots to greatly improve the quality of our lives and to contribute positively to the safety, creative potential, and atmosphere of public spaces. But as this trend develops, the risk emerges of robots transforming public spaces and social interactions in undesirable ways. This panel provides an opportunity for people interested in policy design for robots in public space to present and discuss research papers. We encourage papers exploring single cases or comparative cases. While we anticipate that the focus will be on robots operating in urban spaces (both indoor and outdoor), we are open to broader explorations. Papers might consider policy implications from a range of perspectives. We are especially interested in papers that consider both the opportunities and challenges that come with increasing presence of robots in our daily lives. Paper authors could explore the topic of policy design for robots emphasising, among other things: safety, privacy and ethics, productivity, aesthetics, co-creation, equitable access, and systemic innovation. Depending on the quality and coherence of the papers received for this panel, we will explore subsequent development of a special issue of a policy journal concerning policy design for robots in public spaces.