Designing Ethical Cyber-Physical Industrial Systems

Abstract This paper deals with the risk of non-ethical behaviour of future cyber-physical industrial systems designed by researchers. The will of the authors is to foster researchers working on these innovative systems to pay attention to the possible consequences of their design on the welfare of humans interacting with these systems and their possible responsibility in case of an accident. Mainly focused on robotics, the literature relevant to ethics is shown to be scarce in the field of cyber-physical industrial system while relevant stakes are important. A set of recommendations is suggested and an example dealing with the industrial deployment of a cyber-physical system in transportation illustrates these recommendations.