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For people with dementia, robots can provide companionship, improve safety in the home, and help with therapy. But how can we ensure that caregiving robots – be they humanoid like Sato or Romeo, or the baby seal known as Paro – respect consent, privacy and the autonomy of those they are supposed to help? Nola Ries and Taro Sugihara explain.
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A Japanese dementia patient holds a baby seal robot known as Paro.
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Nola Ries, University of Newcastle; Taro Sugihara, Okayama University
Perhaps communication robots can one day help people express their views on having a robot in their life.
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Business + Economy
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Dominika Polanska, Uppsala University
The Swedish housing model, once an ideal, has become a nightmare for most Swedes.
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Politics + Society
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Moha Ennaji, International Institute for Languages and Cultures
The recent burqa ban in Morocco highlights tensions between radical Salafists and a moderate Islamic government that has taken steps to further women's rights.
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Gerasimos Tsourapas, University of Birmingham
Gulf countries have a history of using migrants' rights as a tool in their geopolitical strategy.
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Science + Technology
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Panayotis Antoniadis, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
In the face of alienation and concentration of power by big corporations, local DIY organisations promote place-based organic internet solutions.
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Environment + Energy
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James Watson, The University of Queensland; James Allan, The University of Queensland; Sean Maxwell, The University of Queensland
You'd hope we wouldn't flatten the pyramids to build a highway. But that's exactly what's happening to the world's natural heritage sites.
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