RoboDoc: Critical ethical issues to consider for the design and development of a robotic doctor experience

To make sense of the robotic revolution quietly occurring in the health sector – particularly, the potential of the robot as a doctor – we need the mechanisms in place to enable us to reflect on the ethical values, beliefs, and aspirations that have shaped and are continuing to shape our health services. Robotics has the potential to re-invent our health system, but as designers and developers of the robot doctor, we need the means to fully understand both patient and doctor’s needs to ensure complete satisfaction. In particular, we need to identify the strong moral and ethical principles in the health care system in order to truly understand those health care professionals that work within. This paper will explore the critical issues behind the robot-doctor interaction. It will highlight some of the main ethical considerations involved in the design and development of this medical robotic experience.