A Roadmap for Responsible Robotics
Dejanira Araiza Illan, Kevin Baum, Helen Beebee, Raja Chatila, Sarah Moth-Lund Christensen, Simon Coghlan, Emily Charlotte Collins, Susannah Kate Devitt, Alcino Cunha, Anna Dobrosovestnova, Duijf Hein, Vanessa Evers, Michael Fisher, Nadin Kökciyan, Nico Hochgeschwender, Séverin Lemaignan, Francisco Javier RodrÃguez Lera, Sara Ljungblad, Martin Magnusson, Masoumeh Mansouri, Michael J Milford, AJung Moon, Thomas M. Powers, Pericle Salvini, Teresa Scantamburlo, Nick Schuster, Slavkovik Marija, Ufuk Topcu, Daniel Fernando Preciado Vanegas, Andrzej Wasowski, Yi Yang
AI summary
Problem
As robotic systems grow more autonomous and integrated into daily life, traditional AI ethics frameworks fall short of addressing the unique physical, social, and legal responsibility gaps inherent to embodied machines.
Approach
The authors convened an interdisciplinary Dagstuhl seminar to synthesize perspectives from robotics, philosophy, and social sciences, identifying key ethical values, stakeholder roles, and research priorities to guide responsible design and deployment.
Key results
- Core ethical values framework (dignity, autonomy, safety, trust, fairness, sustainability)
- Mapping of responsibility gaps across the robot lifecycle
- Defined stakeholder roles for universities, industry, and governments
- Actionable research and policy priorities for bridging technical and social gaps
Why it matters
Provides a foundational, interdisciplinary guide for researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to proactively shape ethical, safe, and socially beneficial robotic systems.
Abstract
This document presents the outcomes of the Dagstuhl Seminar Roadmap for Responsible Robotics, held in September 2023 at the Leibniz Centre for Informatics, Schloss Dagstuhl, Germany. The seminar brought together researchers from Robotics, Computer Science, Social and Cognitive Sciences, and Philosophy with the aim of charting a path towards improving responsibility in robotic systems. Through intensive interdisciplinary discussions centered on the various values at stake as robotics increasingly integrates into human life, the participants identified key priorities to guide future research and regulatory efforts. The resulting roadmap outlines actionable steps to ensure that robotic systems co-evolve with human societies, promoting human agency and humane values rather than undermining them. Designed for diverse stakeholders—researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, practitioners, NGOs, and civil society groups—this roadmap provides a foundation for collaborative efforts toward responsible robotics.