Robotic Surgery

Sandy Parkar, the manager of a large hospital, is considering using robots controlled by surgeons to carry out surgical procedures. The surgeon uses a computer console to control the robot (see Figure 5).

Figure 5: Robotic surgery

[Source: mathisworks / iStock.]

All the robot’s movements, and the surgical procedure, are recorded. This allows information to be collected about each procedure.

In 2022, a patient died while undergoing a surgical procedure in which a surgical robot was used. Sandy claims the manufacturer of the robot should be accountable. This was contested by the manufacturer, and a court case followed to determine who was accountable.  

Discuss whether the surgeon, the manufacturer of the surgical robot, or the hospital manager should be held accountable.

Identify two characteristics of a social robot that will make it accepted by students.

Tayton School has 30 students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Describe one assistive technology solution that could be used by these students.

Explain one action that needs to be taken by the school so that the students can benefit from any assisted technology that is purchased.

The students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) want to be included in school activities and have appropriate access to the curriculum. 

The two interventions influence a student’s identity in the classroom.

Evaluate the impact of educational digital technologies, such as social robots and assistive technologies, on the identity of students with SEND in Tayton School.

It was recently reported that an autonomous vehicle had collided with an elderly person in a wheelchair that had rolled into the road. The autonomous vehicle chose to run over the wheelchair rather than avoid it, as swerving would have put two children at risk. This incident led to a discussion in the council about the ethical decision-making process used by the autonomous vehicle.

Discuss who should be accountable for an accident in the town involving an autonomous vehicle.

With reference to the stimulus material above and to your own inquiries, recommend the digital intervention(s) that the council should choose to address the challenge of ensuring mobility associated with living in towns such as Miketon.

Robbi’s website claims that, “Robbi is friendly, helpful and intelligent. He can sense and respond, and learns as you engage with him”. Some of the customers who own Robbi are considering whether they could extend the range of tasks Robbi could perform, or whether they should allow Robbi to make decisions for them.

To what extent should individuals rely on social robots like Robbi to act as decision-makers for them?

Other than for the prevention of injuries, discuss the impacts on workers and employers of the use of exoskeletons in the workplace.

Policing as a human activity?

Toby Walsh, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales, Australia, notes that the use of police robots raises “many important questions that we, as a society, have to think about”.

Singapore has started testing patrol robots that survey pedestrian areas in the city-state. Xavier, the mall-cop robot, will be autonomously rolling through the Toa Payoh central district for three weeks scanning for “undesirable social behaviours”.

Figure 4 shows an example of a patrol robot.

Figure 4: An example of a patrol robot

Identify two characteristics of a social robot.

King Robotics is planning to use social robots in schools. The robots will use a unique approach called care receiving. In this approach to teaching, the robot does not directly instruct the student; instead, the robot makes mistakes and asks the student for help to correct them. Early studies have found that children respond very positively to this approach. The robots will also be able to carry out direct teaching activities.

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using social robots such as Pepper to support the care-receiving teaching approach as well as carry out direct teaching activities.

Using a Segway with machine learning capabilities?

The Segway Patroller is a two-wheeled, battery-powered electric vehicle. Recently, Segway Patrollers have been used for security purposes in cities as well as in public spaces such as concerts, railway stations and shopping malls.

The Segway Patroller can travel up to a speed of 20 kilometres per hour (about 12 miles per hour) and travel about 40 kilometres (25 miles) in distance before the battery needs to be recharged.

Figure 3: A Segway Patroller

With reference to the stimulus material and your own inquiries, recommend whether Tayton School should use social robots and/or assistive technologies to ensure students with SEND can be further integrated into the school.

An assistive technology app and a social robot can help a student with the same lesson.

Explain one interactive feature of a social robot that will help a student with the same lesson that an app would not be able to do.

Identify two ways how an autonomous vehicle can verify it is collecting the right passenger.

Pepper is released in batches of a thousand, and they usually sell out immediately.

Explain one reason why Pepper is only released in relatively small batches.

Explain why the avatar developers would create avatars that do not look like humans.