Robotics and automation for societal good: Global South challenges and technology-policy considerations

Authors

  • Raj Madhavan Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technologies, USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.9.12222

Keywords:

humanitarian robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, environmental monitoring, technology policy, ethical, legal, and societal considerations

Abstract

Robotics and automation and artificial intelligence technologies hold immense potential in addressing many of the societal challenges as exemplified in the sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda of the United Nations. They have the potential not only to increase the standard of living in developed countries, but to improve the quality of life in the so-called «Global South». This article discusses underlying challenges and technology-policy considerations when deploying emerging technologies in developing and developed economies. Various examples and implementations in collaboration with humanitarians, researchers and developers, and professional organizations across the globe are outlined.

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Author Biography

Raj Madhavan, Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technologies, USA.

Internationally recognized expert in mobile robotics navigation and humanitarian technologies. He is currently the CEO of Humanitarian Robotic Technologies (USA), and he has held previous appointments with the University of Maryland (USA), Amrita University (India), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA). He received a PhD in Field Robotics from the University of Sydney, and an ME (Research) in Systems Engineering from the Australian National University. Over the last 24 years, he has published more than 200 papers and has co-edited two books and four journal special issues focusing on robotics, intelligent systems, technology-policy, and ethics. His current research interests include ethical, legal, and societal aspects of robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence technologies, and the associated governance and regulation issues.

References

Madhavan, R., Marques, L., Prestes, E., Dasgupta, P., Cabrita, G., Portugal, D., … Garcia, J. (2014). 2014 Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 21(3), 10–16. doi: 10.1109/MRA.2014.2334953

Madhavan, R., Marques, L., Prestes, E., Maffei, R., Jorge, V., Gil, B., … Dasgupta, P. (2015). 2015 Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 22(3), 182–184. doi: 10.1109/MRA.2015.2452199

Prestes, E., Marques, L., Neuland, R., Mantelli, M., Maffei, R, Dogru, S., … Madhavan, R. (2016). The 2016 Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 23(3), 23–24. doi: 10.1109/MRA.2016.2587921

Schumacher, E. F. (1973). Small is beautiful: Economics as if people mattered. London: Blond & Briggs.

Silva, T., Madhavan, R., Prestes, E., Farina, F., Gandra, T., Wiebbelling, R., & Almeida, D. (2016). Unmanned aerial vehicles for environmental monitoring and disaster management. In Proceedings of the 2016 International Tech4Dev Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland. Retrieved from https://cooperation.epfl.ch/files/content/sites/cooperation/files/Tech4Dev%202016/1229-Silva-SE02-HUM_Full%20Paper.pdf 

Tapia, C., Urquidi, O., & Pakleppa, M. (2018). Variable stiffness prosthetic grasper with myolelectric control, IEEE RAS-SIGHT Project. Retrieved from http://www.ieee-ras.org/images/Variable_stiffness_prosthetic_
grasper_with_myolelectric_control.pdf

Wonsick, M., Mehegan, C., & Padir, T. (2016). Enhancing the outcomes of epidemiological surveillance in Liberia through automated tracking of blood samples. Retrieved from http://www.ieee-ras.org/images/TaskinPadir_ras-sight-finalReport-padir.pdf 

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Published

2019-03-06

How to Cite

Madhavan, R. (2019). Robotics and automation for societal good: Global South challenges and technology-policy considerations. Metode Science Studies Journal, (9), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.9.12222
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Issue

The grounds of science (2019)

Section

Interlinked. Machines and humans facing the 10101 century

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