Characteristics of a responsible community robot: Data from a Delphi study.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Citizen Science

Background:

• Defining responsible community robots is crucial for ethical development and deployment.
• Existing research lacks comprehensive criteria for evaluating community robot responsibility.
• Citizen science initiatives increasingly utilize technology for data collection and environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize the essential features of a responsible community robot.
• To provide a data-driven framework for the design and implementation of community robots.
• To explore the product, process, and paradigm aspects of responsible community robot development.

Main Methods:

• A six-round Delphi study involving 20 experts with diverse expertise.
• Utilized a case study focused on developing a robot for citizen scientist waterway monitoring.
• Collected and analyzed 170 ideas, refined into 111 voting statements rated by participants.

Main Results:

• The study generated a dataset of raw questionnaire responses and intermediate analysis records.
• Identified key characteristics crucial for a robot to be considered a responsible community robot.
• The data facilitates further research into responsible community robots across various contexts.

Conclusions:

• The findings offer a valuable resource for roboticists, technologists, and community stakeholders.
• The dataset supports comparative analyses of responsible community robot characteristics.
• This research contributes to the ethical and effective deployment of community robots.