1^st TARDEC Robotic Quarterly Workshop

Monday, Sept 17, 2006

Session 1: Robot Ethics - Dr. Ron Arkin, Georgia Institute of Technology

This talk outlines the basis, motivation, theory, and design recommendations for the implementation of an ethical control and reasoning system potentially suitable for constraining lethal actions in an autonomous robotic system so that they fall within the bounds prescribed by the Laws of War and Rules of Engagement. It is based upon extensions to existing deliberative/reactive autonomous robotic architectures, and includes recommendations for (1) post facto suppression of unethical behavior, (2) behavioral design that incorporates ethical constraints from the onset, (3) the use of affective functions as an adaptive component in the event of unethical action, and (4) a mechanism in support of identifying and advising operators regarding the ultimate responsibility for the deployment of such a system.

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Session 2: Mobile Robots in Challenging Environments: Technical Frontiers - Dr. Karl Iagnemma, Massachesettes Institute of Technollogy

This talk will first describe the nature of "challenging environments," then go on to discuss the implications of operation in these environments for UGV design, sensing, and control. Current efforts in the research community will be described, both in the military domain and other application areas such as planetary surface exploration. A small number of important current research problems will be identified, and pathways toward their solution will be suggested.

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