IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2022 - 96

adopted globally, based on existing
international frameworks such as the
UN Human Rights Declaration [56].
Common Language to Build
Governance Frameworks
Building such governance frameworks
for robotics is a difficult task, as it
requires the collaboration of people from
different domains and professional and
cultural backgrounds as well as the
approval of society. The panelists discussed
the needs and challenges of
establishing a common language to
enable a smooth communication among
different actors.
Understanding of the Role of
Technology in Society
The general public needs a realistic
understanding of technology and its
limitations to demand and support
effective governance frameworks from
politicians and decision makers. The
panelists deplore that the public perception
of AI and robotics is distorted by
exaggerations in cultural works and in
the media, ranging from the dangerous
Terminator character [42] to the caring
Baymax [43]. In addition, very well produced
videos showcase robot performances
[44], [45] without depicting the
enormous amount of preparation or the
many failures that were overcome to
prepare such a video, thus misrepresenting
the technology. The strengths
and limitations of robotics are either
overestimated or underestimated, causing
an unrealistic understanding of
their enabling and inhibiting capacities.
Policymakers and Technology
As for the people responsible for designing
and applying governance frameworks,
policymakers must have an
accurate understanding of the potential
and risks of the technologies they seek
to regulate. As such, there is strong need
for technology leaders to explain technology
to politicians and decision makers.
Explainable Technology
For the practitioners working in the
field of robotics and AI, a challenge is to
keep the technology explainable so that
it can be correctly regulated and trusted
[46]. As robotic systems get more complex
and incorporate data-based methods
such as neural networks, this
concern should be an integral part of
the mindset for R&D, in academia but
also in industry.
Military Funding of Technology
Military budgets in R&D continually
increase, and they are a major funding
source of innovation in robotics. The
panelists discussed their role in the
advancement of the field to achieve
the SDGs.
DARPA [47] encourages the development
of emerging technology for
military use, focusing on national security
instead of the SDGs. The panelists
emphasized that many advances in
robotics were supported by DARPA
[48]-[51], enabling significant progress
in the field [52]. However, they
deplored that; although many people in
the public know the name DARPA for
its challenges and videos, the fact that it
is a military agency is not well known,
which may cause a transparency problem.
The panelists also mentioned that
robotics companies can be successful
while refusing military robotics projects,
although this policy is hard to follow
in the cases of consortium or
collaborations with other militaryfunded
organizations.
Suggestions for Policies
and Actions
During the panels, many ideas and suggestions
for policies were raised. The
following sections lists several of these
recommendations.
Education
A misunderstanding of the potentials
and risks of robotics was identified as a
challenge, both for the adoption of
robotic systems for the SDGs (the
" Challenges in Adoption of Robotics for
the SDGs " section) and for the building
of governance frameworks (the " Common
Language to Build Governance
Frameworks " section). Education and
awareness is required for boards and
governance bodies with oversight
responsibility. The panelists further propose
to empower kids and young adults
96 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE * MARCH 2022
at school by teaching them the notions
of benefits and risks of technology. In
addition, general outreach efforts or
public campaigns on specific topics
could also be considered.
Engineering and computer science
students can also benefit from additional
education on the topic of sustainability.
Similar to the way ethics are now
taught in many accredited university
programs, the notions of sustainability
should be taught during the training of
every roboticist.
Robotics Community
The robotics community is composed
of industrial and academic organizations.
International or regional conferences,
such as those sponsored by the
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society,
often bring these together and are a
good stage to raise the questions of sustainability.
Workshops such as the one
organized at IROS 2021 can be an efficient
tool to raise community awareness
of the SDGs.
The panelists also proposed to ask
for SDG assessments for project proposals,
such as applications for funding
or grants, academic paper submissions,
or even company internal development
projects. Such evaluations would allow
for the establishment of links (or the
absence thereof) with the SDGs as
well as the identification of potential
conflicts with the SDGs. A panelist
mentioned that SDGs are interesting
frameworks for such discussions as
they are boundary objects [53]: meaningful
without being clearly defined,
they encourage discussions and critical
reflections.
Realism of Robotics in
the Culture
Similar to education initiatives, it is possible
to encourage more realistic robot
representations in the culture. The panelists
suggested the publication of
behind-the-scenes videos, as is sometimes
done [54], when showcasing the
performance of robots. They also propose
" failure sessions " at robotics conferences,
which would demonstrate the
limitations of robots. Partnerships with
cultural industries, such as filmmaking,
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