The Ethics for Engineers in Combining Humans with Advanced Robotics

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Todays robots are used in various industries from manufacturing to military, as technology advances more robots are becoming independent. As their systems increase in complexity, so too will their capabilities and scope of employment. Progresses in the sciences may one day permit for the blending of human and robotic functioning at scales where they become indistinguishable from each other. These future achievements in engineering could potentially redefine human properties; undoubtedly, the ethical concerns will be profoundly important to the direction of the human species. Should we allow Human Enhancement? Should we make thinking machines? Will merging with machines, make humans perfect? Human enhancement and machine intelligence are the big topic questions that are presently being discussed by communities worldwide. These are the problems of the future and the engineering community has a big part to play in helping to resolve these looming issues.
Arguments for enhancements stem from the ideas that enhancements are already being established and in use today. Things like advanced prosthesis, medical implants and artificial organs have already become accepted forms treatment. These devices have been employed to care for human deficiencies so advocates say why not use the technology to improve human limitations. Currently, blind patients who are good candidates can receive the ARUS II an artificial retina, which can actually restore partial sight (Titley 23). Of course, there are hopes one day to restore complete sight to the blind, but will this be considered a treatment or enhancement? In prosthetics, researchers have been attempting to create “feedback systems” that allow robotic prosthesis to attach to nerve pathways in amp...

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