The HRI Value Compass is a web tool that helps researchers identify values and ethical concerns that arise in human-robot interactions (HRI). It was developed as part of a joint study by Ghent University (Belgium) and Politecnico di Milano (Italy). The publication of the study is currently under review and a preprint will be available here shortly. If you use the tool in your research, please cite the publication.
A paper version of the tool is available on zenodo.
The HRI Value Compass guides the user through a three steps process. In the first step, the user is invited to reflect on the context in which the robot will be used. In the second step, the user is guided through a series of questions that help identify the values that are relevant in that context. In the third step, the interface displays provides an overview of the values that were identified, useful for further reflection and discussion.
The tool is built on the results of a scoping review and a focus group with technology ethics experts. The results of this study are available by clicking names of each topic in the tool, providing useful links to the literature for further reading. You can also explore the topics and references in a table format.
Robots, as AI with physical instantiation, inhabit our social and physical world, where their actions have both social and physical consequences, posing challenges for researchers when designing social robots. This study starts with a scoping review to identify potential ethical concerns arising from interactions with robotic systems. A focus group of technology ethics experts then established a comprehensive list of key topics and values in human-robot interaction (HRI) literature. These insights were integrated into the HRI Value Compass web tool, to help HRI researchers identify ethical values in robot design. The tool was evaluated in a pilot study. This work benefits the HRI community by highlighting key ethical concerns in human-robot interactions and providing an instrument to help researchers design robots that align with human values, ensuring future robotic systems adhere to these values in social applications.