Scientists say regulations for ‘living robots’ urgently needed

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Scientists say more regulation and a better ethical framework are needed in the development of “living robots.”

Engineers are increasingly creating robots that rely not only on artificial components, but also on living tissues and cells grown in the laboratory, which can be used for their capabilities.

But the development of this technology has not been matched by an understanding of the ethical and governance issues it raises, a team of interdisciplinary researchers warn in a major paper.

Scientists note that the technology offers benefits that might not otherwise be possible. But they said the dangers are not properly considered, eitehr.

For example, of the more than 1,500 publications discussing this technology, only five have specifically considered the ethical issues surrounding the use of living tissue in robotic machines.

“The challenges of regulating biohybrid robotics are not dissimilar to those faced when regulating biomedical devices, stem cells and other disruptive technologies,” said Rafael Mestre of the University of Southampton, a co-author of the paper.

“But unlike purely mechanical or digital technologies, biohybrid robots combine biological and synthetic components in an unprecedented way. This creates unique potential benefits, but also potential risks.”

The potential ethical questions and concerns are broad. But they include questions about when such a system might be considered conscious—and what moral status it might have.

“Biohybrid robots pose unique ethical dilemmas,” said Aníbal M. Astobiza of the University of the Basque Country in Spain and a co-author of the paper. “The living tissue used to produce them, the potential for sentience, their distinct environmental impact, their unusual moral status, and their capacity for biological evolution or adaptation pose unique ethical dilemmas that go beyond those associated with entirely artificial or biological technologies.”

The researchers pointed to similar debates surrounding other new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and human cloning. They said the ethical issues are on a par with those other innovations—but that the discussion about them is much less frequent.

The article entitled “Ethics and Responsibility in Biohybrid Robotics Research” was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.