Vulnerability in the Robot Society (VIROS)

Robots are increasingly becoming "smart", with the help of artificial intelligence. Smart robots may be useful if they take on important tasks, but their development and use also raises legal and technical questions. How can we ensure that smart robots are safe and secure, and that their use respects our privacy? These questions arise especially when robots are deployed in a healthcare context, when they interact with vulnerable people. The VIROS project investigates the challenges and solutions in regulating robotics and AI technologies - legally and technically. The project’s focus on law, ethics and robotics technology is highly interdisciplinary. The research is undertaken by a team comprising researchers from the Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ROBIN) research group at the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo (UiO), together with researchers at the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL) and other departments at the Law Faculty, UiO. The project also collaborates with international experts and representatives of the public sector and industry. Within the technical work, the ROBIN group has been developing and got a paper accepted on a control framework that can make the interactions between robotic arms (used in robot assistants) and users safer. The initial work has been through using a robot simulator while we recently have extended and complemented this work by using the newly acquired TIAGo robot (acquired August 2021). A study has also been performed and published on robots as welfare technology to reduce falls among older adults. The work with user studies will continue, and we have in 2022 established contact with a Care+ type of housing facility for independent living for elderly people. There is also an activity centre for elderly people there, and the staff and residents have expressed much interest in contributing to making progress in improving robot assistance technology. We have also undertaken research and published a paper investigating ethical issues (e.g., physical and cognitive safety, and privacy) that arise from the design and use of care robots at both a physical and interaction layer. Some of the identified research gaps are relevant to address in our future work. The legal research closely follows the ongoing regulatory developments in the EU in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence. The European Commission has proposed a new legal framework on artificial intelligence (called the "AI Act") as well as new rules for the safety of machines, including robots. These rules are risk-based and incorporate various types of risk assessments, as further discussed in a research article. In addition to this, there is also an EU proposal to address the liability for the use of artificial intelligence technology, including when used in robots. These bills come in addition to existing sets of rules, such as the General Data Protection Regulation and the Medical Devices Regulation. These and other rules already regulate aspects of robot use, especially in a health context. In addition, there are technical standards, which have great practical significance for the development of robot technology. The development of smart (and less smart) robots challenges the interaction between these sets of rules. To provide an example, our research points out that the proposal for the AI Act does not align sufficiently well with the Regulation on medical devices, leading to some forms of medical artificial intelligence not being adequately regulated.

The increasing deployment of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) systems is introducing new layers of critical infrastructures in various areas of our society. This contributes to new digital vulnerabilities and poses novel legal and regulatory questions. The VIROS project investigates the challenges and solutions in regulating robotics and AI technologies – legally and technically – particularly with respect to addressing the safety, security and privacy concerns such systems raise. It addresses these issues along two main prongs of research: (i) smart robots, privacy, security and safety; and (2) healthcare robots. The first prong analyses the legal and technical challenges in addressing privacy, security and safety concerns that smart robots pose. The second prong examines the legal, technical and ethical issues associated with the growing inter-dependence and interactions of tangible and virtual elements in robots used for healthcare purposes. The project will run for five years. It will be undertaken by an interdisciplinary team comprising researchers from the Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ROBIN) research group at the Department of Informatics, UiO, together with researchers at the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL) and other departments at the Law Faculty, UiO. The bulk of research will be carried out by four research fellows at doctoral and post-doctoral level. Two will be based at the NRCCL and will work on the legal and regulatory aspects of the two research prongs. The other two researchers will be associated with the ROBIN research group, and will work on the technical design aspects of the two prongs of research.