Ethical and Social Implications of the Robear Robotic Nurse

This report comprehensively examines the ethical and social issues surrounding the Robear robotic nurse, developed by RIKEN and Sumitomo Riko Company. It begins with an overview of the technology, including its design, functionality, and advantages over previous models. The report identifies key stakeholders, such as robotics producers, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and users, and analyzes their respective roles and responsibilities. A significant portion of the report is dedicated to intellectual property protection, contrasting trade secrets and patent strategies, and assessing their suitability for safeguarding the Robear technology. It also explores the opportunities and benefits of the technology, such as improved patient care and reduced workload for healthcare professionals, alongside potential risks like patient isolation and data privacy concerns. The report concludes by synthesizing these findings to offer a balanced perspective on the ethical and social implications of the Robear, aiming to inform investors and stakeholders about the technology's broader impact.

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Ethics and Social Issues
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Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Technology Overview:...............................................................................................................3
Stakeholders:..............................................................................................................................4
Intellectual property protection:.................................................................................................5
Opportunities and benefits:........................................................................................................9
Risks and drawbacks:...............................................................................................................11
Summary:.................................................................................................................................13
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................14
References................................................................................................................................15

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Introduction:
The concerns of ethical and social issues arising with the evolving scenario in technological
developments have been observed across various sectors. One of the profound implications of
understanding the ethical aspects of new technology development is observed in its
attractiveness for potential investors. It is imperative that investors are always looking for
promising financial returns albeit with the indications of potential emphasis on the social
responsibilities realized by the invention. In certain exceptional cases, the investors have been
known to discard the emphasis on profits owing to higher social contributions derived from
their investments (Adams, van Veghel & Dekker, 2015).
The following report aims to illustrate the possible social, legal and ethical dimensions
related to the product ‘Robear’, a robotic nurse developed by the company Riken. The
comprehensive highlights of the report would comprise of a reasonable description of the
technology and the stakeholders involved alongside a discussion on the intellectual property
protection measures adopted by the organization. The report also expresses the review of
possible opportunities and pitfalls that could be observed in context of the use of the
ROBERT NURSE. The final section of the report facilitates a credible summarization of the
observations in the report which should be inclined towards convincing the investors.
Technology Overview:
The explicit observation of technical pitfalls and staff shortages could be accounted as a
credible substrate for design and development of robotic technology for service delivery in
healthcare. As per Alexander, the applications of robotic technology in healthcare have been
observed profoundly over the course of the last decade with improvements leading to
integration of robotics in delivery of primary healthcare. Some of the common examples of
robots which could serve the applications of primary healthcare include lifting robots among
which ‘Robear’ tends to be the latest invention (Alexander, 2014).
The Robear can be described as a robotic nurse as an outcome of joint efforts of RIKEN-SRK
Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research and Sumitomo Riko Company.
The machine cannot be termed as a standard caregiver although it’s primary function is to
help individuals in transferring from their wheelchairs and beds. The machine can also be
termed as the third entry in the series of RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance)
ROBERT NURSEs which followed RIBA that was launched in 2009 and RIBA II that was

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launched in 2011 (AYENI, 2014). The technology and the fabrication of Robear could be
considered as explicit indicators of its efficiency over its predecessors. For example, the
weight of Robear is 309 pounds which is substantially lower than that of its predecessor
RIBA II which weighed 507 pounds. The technology implemented in the case of Robear
enables it to provide gentle care especially through the rubber that is used in the
manufacturing of Robear as well as the installation of force sensing components all over its
structure (Baase & Sen, 2013).
The smaller size and light weight of the robot are liable for providing additional advantages
in primary healthcare such as the flexibility of manoeuvres within the physical healthcare
setting such as home or hospital. An in-depth exploration of the technology reflects on the
actuator units which have a comprehensively low gear ratio. The lower gear ratio is
responsible for allowing quick and precise movement of the joints alongside flexible
feedback of force encountered by actuators back into the system which facilitates softer
movement. The desired outcomes from Robear include lifting almost 40 patients in a day and
the pressure on the robot vary according to the requirements of the patients (Barrow, 2015).
Therefore, Robear has to ensure that the patients do not experience any additional physical
pain due to the consistent transportation. Therefore, Robear’s technology also facilitates the
integration of three different types of sensors in its design which include tactile sensors and

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tactile sensors. These sensors are responsible for providing feasible benefits to the robots for
performing tasks involving higher force without endangering the safety of patients.
Stakeholders:
The identification of prominent stakeholders involved in context of the ROBERT NURSE
‘Robear’ could be noted in the different stakeholder categories which include robotics
producers, employers, insurance companies, professional users (health care service
providers), standard associations, researchers, decision makers and user associations.
According to Beckett, Maynard & Jordan, the responsibilities of the individual stakeholders
could be reviewed explicitly in order to identify their significance in improvement of the
project’s application in primary healthcare (Beckett, Maynard & Jordan, 2017).
The identification of the stakeholder could be expressed further as follows. The robotics
producers refer to the groups, organizations or institutions which are responsible for
manufacturing Robear i.e. Riken and Sumitomo Riko Company which could also be
accounted as inventors of the technology. The employers of Robear could be found in the
different healthcare service providers such as government health agencies, private hospitals,
clinics etc. The insurance companies are also accounted as formidable stakeholders in context
of the Robear technology since they are involved with the robotics producer as well as the
employer and are liable to experience loss and benefits from either side they also have a
considerable significance in the development of a robotic nurse technology.
The professional users’ category of stakeholders is also perceived as a notable highlight in the
case of Robear and they have been identified as the nurses and physicians that assist the
patients in understanding the robotic nurse technology alongside configuring Robear for
delivering flexible interactive healthcare services (Boulouta, 2013). Standard organizations
such as ISO are liable to have a mandatory stake in technology development initiatives since
they have to authorize the materials used in the fabrication of robotic products in order to
validate their application in healthcare. User associations also have a considerable role as
stakeholders in the project of ROBERT NURSE ‘Robear’. Their opinions regarding the
practical experiences of applying the Robear in care of disabled and elderly people those
demand the services of Robear the most, could be used for inducing viable reforms in its
design.

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On a generic basis, the stakeholders for a project like Robear could be classified into three
broad categories which include institutions, users and society which are liable to experience
varied levels of opportunities as well as risks. For examples, users could acquire the
comprehensible benefits of mobility, assistance, communication and independence from the
ROBERT NURSEs but they should consider the risks of isolation and unapproved use
without consent. Therefore an explicit identification of stakeholders in a specific project
could be held accountable for a legible impression of the extent to which opportunities are
beneficial and risks are detrimental for the project. Since the financial considerations
associated with the development of a ROBERT NURSE such as Robear are communicated
precisely to all stakeholders, it is imperative to apprehend the social, ethical and legal pitfalls
that could be possibly encountered by the project (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013).
Furthermore, the potential investors could gain a comprehensive impression of the ethical and
social benefits contributed by Robear that would be a credible guidance in their investment
decisions.
Intellectual property protection:
The concerns for intellectual property preservation and monitoring the particular implications
pertaining to the utilization of trade related information. The different aspects related to the
protection of intellectual property that could be implemented in the case of the ROBERT
NURSE, Robear, could be reviewed from the perspective of two different initiatives which
refer to trade secret protection and involvement of the organization with design-patent
practices (Chakrabarty & Bass, 2015).
Inventors and businesses in the domain of robotics have assumed intellectual property as a
profitable commercial asset that assists them in facilitating benefits such as preservation of
market share, competitive advantage and quantifying the outcomes of innovation. As per
Cicmil & O'Laocha, a comprehensive analysis of each intellectual property (IP) protection
methods is a necessary requirement for the report in order to communicate the level of
security of the technology. Therefore it is essential to describe each protection measure
explicitly alongside finding out the notable advantages and setbacks associated with each
measure (Cicmil & O'Laocha, 2016). The detailing associated with the ROBERT NURSE
technology Robear could be helpful in drawing valid inferences describing the positive and
negative dimensions of the IP protection measures.

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Trade secrets could be accounted as one of the common methods implemented for protection
of IP which is further observed predominantly in cases of robotic applications that involve
interaction with limited number of individuals. However, the increasing expansion of robotics
applications in a wider range of domains such as healthcare and logistics has created the
concerns for ambiguities over the effectiveness of patents over trade secrets. This leads to the
necessity for a formidable plan driven with emphasis on technology that would help in
feasible demarcation of IP protection methods (Clifford, 2014). Regulations which have been
developed in context of IP protection emphasize on the definitions of trade secrets as
information.
The outcomes of the information are characterized by the individual features such as deriving
economic value without being recognized easily and can be accounted as a subject of
reasonable efforts which are also helpful for a client to validate misappropriation of trade
secrets. The realization of trade secrets as a subject of reasonable efforts could be affirmed
coherently to maintain secrecy through explicitly beneficial measures such as non-disclosure
agreements, employment agreements and policies and mechanisms for preventing public
disclosure involving both accidental and intentional contexts (DesJardins & McCall, 2014).
On the other hand, patents are responsible for creating the right for exclusion of other entities
from utilization of the technology invention under concern and are also anointed as plausible

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sources for stronger protection than that obtained from a trade secret. Patents could be
challenged when they are published however with the concerns of assumption of validity
among issued patents.
Trade secrets on the other hand are associated with the higher level of confidentiality in order
to refrain from the irreversible violation of the secret and infringing enforcement rights.
While patent protection is assumed as a reasonable IP protection measure it is imperative to
consider the insufficiencies which are flexibly addressed by trade secrets. The application of
trade secrets in such scenarios is observed in case of products in which the secret cannot be
reverse engineered. The implementation of trade secrets as a viable IP protection measure
could therefore be considered as extremely functional in scenarios where the trade secret of
the product is not explicitly identifiable in the end product. Furthermore, the implementation
of trade secrets as IP protection measure could also be observed in case of robotic products
that rely on software for their operations (Gibson, 2016).
Trade secrets would also help in provision of additional benefits such as information
regarding the features which were not integrated in the design of the product thereby offering
feasible opportunities for IP protection. The approach of patent protection could also be
responsible for illustrating the details of the invention which could enable others to replicate
the intellectual property flexibly and implement it according to their own interests. However,
trade secrets prove to be advantageous in this context as it is responsible for forcing
competitors to start from ground zero through preservation of the history of trial and error
development observed in the invention of Robear, the ROBERT NURSE under concern. In
the case of robotic nurses, the potential life span is longer thereby implying the necessity of
trade secrets as recommended IP protection measures (Gillers, 2014). Furthermore, the
reprimands issued for misappropriation of trade secrets are also reflective of monetary
compensation for losses as well as the share of profits of the violator acquired through unjust
means. Trade secrets could also be considered advantageous over patent protection since the
threats for misappropriation of trade secrets could be immediately brought to task while
threats for patent rights violation could not.
The increased visibility and physical appearance of a robot in the domain of healthcare
practices has created the impression of an ornamental design. The ornamental design is
responsible for the capability of the robot to address the concerns of overall success or failure
of the robotics products. The physical characteristics of a ROBERT NURSE such as facial

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features, colour scheme, shape and facial expressions are formidable factors which influence
the ornamental design (Gunzenhauser, 2015).
The ornamental design of robotics products involved in healthcare is considered as a
significant contributor to their consumer appeal and brand recognition. Therefore, it is
essential to consider design-patents as credible IP protection measures which safeguard the
intellectual property invested in creation of the desired exterior appearance of products and
experience of product usage (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014). Design patent is
responsible for covering the surface pattern and shape of a product and is generally provided
to designs which are original, novel as compared to existing designs and should not bear any
derivative similarities with existing designs. The foremost advantage of obtaining a design
patent is reflected in context of the consistent and precise depiction of the design in the
applications for design patents.
The requirement of obtaining a design patent as a promising IP protection measure could be
validated in the case of Robear on the grounds of three profound reasons. An enterprise could
refrain from unwarranted competition offered by after-market replacements or spare parts
through a design patent alongside preserving the company against unscrupulous products
which could confuse the customers regarding authenticity (Jorge & Peña, 2014). The other
notable reason for which design patents could be acquired by robotic nurse developers is
observed in preserving the intellectual property pertaining to individual design elements in
the robot which lead to its uniqueness from the competition. The other notable characteristics
which can be perceived in context of design patents are in the form of their enforcement
which is considered analogous to the imposing of trademarks.
The infringement of design patents is often considered liable for payment of damages by the
defendant that is determined on the grounds of the articles involved (Kolk, 2016). However,
it is imperative to consider the notable advantage that majority of design patent infringements
are resolved with minimal prospects of litigation. Design patents act as a formidable barrier
for competitors to imitate or closely replicate the patented designs thereby increasing the
opportunities for strategic recognition of the brands among the existing competition.
Therefore, it is necessary for Riken to emphasize on the prospects of design patents as valid
IP protection measures for its innovative ROBERT NURSE, Robear. Majority of companies
undermine the significance of design patents in context of their IP requirements.

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Despite their inability to be anointed as substitutes for trademarks and utility patents, design
patents are capable of addressing the concerns of competition from products with similar
design appearances and counterfeit products. Design rights are explicitly considered to be
productive with majority of design patent infringements being resolved without any litigation
(Kucuk, 2015). Therefore, the validity of design patent as a credible IP protection method for
ROBERT NURSE case study of Robear could be clearly apprehended. The design of the
robot is specifically intended to provide easy and flexible interactive assistance to patients in
moving from one place to another. The use of actuators and sensors as well as the design
specifications intended to acquire specific primary healthcare outcomes could not be imitated
by other competitors involved in design of ROBERT NURSEs with the acquisition of design
patents (Levy & Slavin, 2013).
Opportunities and benefits:
Robots have been associated with considerable benefits for different domains among which
healthcare has been a major recipient. The system of a robot is capable of depicting
integration of sensors, manipulators, software, control systems and power supplier for
accomplishing a single task. Robotic applications in healthcare have been profoundly noted
in the recent decade and the design developments made in the ROBERT NURSEs has led to
the proliferation of a wide assortment of their applications in healthcare applications
(Lipschultz, 2017).
The healthcare sector could be accounted in the domain of services which is formidably
associated with improvement of productivity, sustainability, potential and performance. The
services that could be identified in the healthcare sector include attention, advice and
experience. Therefore it is imperative to consider the specifically profound opportunities
facilitated by ROBERT NURSEs in primary healthcare (Woods, 2015).
The impact of robotics in healthcare sector employment could be reviewed comprehensively
in order to apprehend the opportunities. The opportunities that could be derived from Robear
in terms of the issue of employment could be explicitly observed in research studies and
literature (Marres & Weltevrede, 2013). The consistently increasing populations over the
world have created concerns for a comparatively larger share of ageing population. Therefore
the challenge should be addressed through profound reconfiguration of local authority
services and health services aligned prominently along community care and functional

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implementation of robotics technology. Robots have a definite competitive advantage over
humans in terms of their capability for quicker training, cheap maintenance, lesser chances of
boredom due to repetition of tasks and the ease of repair and refuelling (Mayo, 2014).
The applications of Robear would be a promising initiative for assisting the elderly, disabled
and chronically ill individuals to acquire a sense of independence from the urgent need of
carers and care homes. The robotic surgical systems have depicted profound indications
towards the impact of robotic advancements in healthcare and vendors have initiated a
varying set of new robots which are used for providing different advantageous outcomes. The
contemporary developments in the applications of robotics in healthcare have the potential of
reiterating the scenes from popular science fiction movies such as Star Wars in the near
future with robots carrying trays of medicines or cleaned laundry along the hospital corridors.
Examples of the application of robots such as Aethon TUG have depicted considerable
depreciation in the working shifts of labour with the reduction in costs.
The capabilities of these ROBERT NURSEs to deliver the work of actual physical labour in
lesser costs with the implications of flexible navigation through elevators, hospital
departments and corridors could be accounted as profound benefits which could be
accomplished from the implementation of Robear. According to McKee, the Robear could be
efficiently capable of lifting patients with ease and offering them a flexibility of experience
without any constraints of the number of times that the patient needs to be lifted in a day
(McKee, 2013). The notable concerns of shortage of documented nurses and direct care
workers across the world could be a potential issue in the long run as it would be supported
by the consistent increment in the share of older adult population. The higher patient to nurse
ratio is a major concern for healthcare agencies, private or government, all over the world and
it has been observed that the increment in the ratio is accountable for direct increment in the
patient mortality rates as well as burnout rate of nursing staff.
On the contrary, governments could not opt for reduction of patients in order to control the
ratio which would be directly reflective of negligence in patient care. Therefore robotics has
to be adopted as a comprehensive support tool for nurses so that they would accomplish their
daily objectives for providing efficient healthcare (Michalos, 2017). The application of
Robear would be accountable of benefits such as supporting the healthcare service providers
in the arduous work of lifting and moving patients from one location to another and allowing
particular implications for resolution of the issues pertaining to imminent staff shortage. The

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minimal impact of the contemporary economic trends on the healthcare sector alongside the
notable opportunities for developments in the field of robotics for healthcare applications
provide a comprehensive impression of the potential momentum that can be gained by the
technology involved in Robear. Stakeholders that would benefit from the technology include
employees in healthcare settings and patients (Moreno, et al., 2013).
The employees would be liable to obtain flexible support from Robear for lifting and moving
patients as well as providing them substantial support during times of absence of the
caregiver. The patients could obtain access to the different areas of the hospital with ease
alongside realize independence from the nursing staff or physical support. This prospect
could be used to validate the social benefit of engagement of the patient.
Another opportunity that was perceived in the case of Robear is reviewed in the context of
the issue of ethical decision making. The profound issue of programming a machine with a
reliable set of ethics is identified explicitly in the creation of robotic nurses. The ROBERT
NURSE has to make substantially beneficial decisions pertaining to its patients on a daily
basis. Therefore it is imperative to perceive that they would have to possess an ethical system
that could realize a specific medical function alongside providing the necessary respect
demanded by patients under treatment.
The concerns of ethics in such cases have been observed in several practical examples
wherein the robots designed for specific medical functions could be negatively reflective on
the patient (Morrow, 2013). For example, the robots designed for administering medicines
would be liable for communicating the time for taking medicines to the patient. However, in
some cases patients may refrain from consuming the medicine due to certain reasons.
Therefore robots are subject to ambiguous situations in which they could not decide whether
to ignore or act upon the human response.
These concerns often lead to the impractical scenarios in patient care. In the case of Robear, it
has to ensure that patients are flexibly lifted up and moved easily without any prominent
concerns related to lower back pain which is an inevitable consequence of frequent lifting.
The ethical concern of decision making is embedded in the design of Robear through the
sensors and actuators in the limbs of Robear which help it to detect pressure and align
accordingly to provide a comfortable experience to the patient (Parrott, 2014). Hence it can
be considered that Robear is able to provide the opportunity to stakeholders such as