Analysis Of Noel Sharkey's The Ethical Frontiers Of Robotics

Noel Sharkey's "The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics" focuses on aspects of robots that may be necessary ethical. Robots that may be used to care for children anywhere from thirty minutes to a year, and robots that may be used for heavy combat in a war zone are all in question. Multiple questions are raised about robots being able to watch children. Issues are also addressed about past mistakes made by robots on the battle front.

He claims that Robots may not be suitable to watch over children. Robots lack the human emotion and humanity that children and the elderly need claims Sharkey. Children and the elderly have social needs that robots simplify cannot fulfill. Touch, and companionship is are just a few needs that people need that robots

cannot provide. The physical, and emotional needs that robots simply cannot meet.
Watching over children and the elderly isn't the only thing that they may not be ethically prepared to handle. Robots in the battlefield is not a new sight. Robots are used to defuse bombs, save wounded soldiers and even cause damage. When robots are used to fire weapons they sometimes make mistakes. Unfortunately those mistake come at the cost of many innocent lives. Innocent men, women, and children have all been killed because of non-human Fire. Robots have a hard time differentiating between targets and non-targets, says Sharkey. In short robots fall short of humans in many areas, some so substantial that it becomes dangerous.