Urban robotics and responsible urban innovation
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Urban robotics and responsible urban innovation Michael Nagenborg1
© The Author(s) 2018. This article is an open access publication
Abstract Robots are leaving factories and entering urban spaces. In this paper, I will explore how we can integrate robots of various types into the urban landscape. I will distinguish between two perspectives: (1) the responsible design and use of urban robots and (2) robots as part of responsible urban innovations. The first viewpoint considers issues arising from the use of a robot in an urban environment. To develop a substantive understanding of Responsible Urban Robotics, we need to focus on normative implications of city life as the context in which in robots are being used. I will refer to the desirable qualities of city life as “cityness” and will argue that we should design for cityness. The second approach asks how robots might be used to address challenges specific to cities. From the perspective of RRI, this may require participatory approaches in which the needs of the stakeholders are addressed. But we may also find inspiration in the work undertaken in architecture on expanding the concept and field to ensure that architects not only provide services to the lucky few but also create useful and beautiful spaces for the many. A dialogue with architects, urban designers, and urban planners may also be needed to successfully address the spatial issues raised by the presence of robots in the city. Keywords Urban technologies · Responsible Research and Innovation · Cityness · Urban justice · Urban planning · Selfdriving cars
Introduction Robots are leaving factories and entering urban spaces. The city of Amsterdam appears particularly attractive for robots. The company MX3D combined an industrial multi-axis robot with 3D printing capabilities to build a bridge over the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal (Kedmey 2015). According to a press release of MIT’s Senseable City Lab, the “RoBoat” will be tested in Amsterdam in 2017: “Each water-based unit (a ‘RoBoat’) can be used for transporting goods and people and for creating temporary floating infrastructures, such as self-assembling bridges and concert stages. RoBoats can also monitor the city’s waters using new environmental sensors that provide vital insights on urban and human health.” The use of robots to build cities seems to be rather new, evidenced by the foundation of the Association for Robots in Architecture in 2010 (Association for Robots in Architecture, n.d.) and the recent initiation of the “Self Repairing Cities” * Michael Nagenborg [email protected] 1
Philosophy Department, University of Twente, Post Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
project that aims “to make Leeds the first city in the World that is fully maintained autonomously by 2035” with the help of robots. (Self Repairing Cities 2018). Of course, some of the examples given need to be understood for what they are: experiments, early adaptations, and—at times—marketing tools. We are in an early phase, and it remains diff
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