Open-source technology developed in civilian field also has the ability to use in military applications or simply can be misused. Navigate it Dual use The capacity in engineering areas is becoming more important, as innovation goes in both ways. While the “openness” of the open-source technology is part of innovation and allows everyone to access, also, unfortunately, means that it is easily accessible to others including military and criminals.

What happens when an evil state, a nonstate militia, or a school shooter displays the same creativity and innovation with open-source technology that engineers do? This is the question that we are discussing here: How can we maintain our principles of open research and innovation to run progress by reducing the underlying risks that come with accessible technology?

More than only open-ended risk, let’s discuss specific challenges, which discuss the open-source technology and its dual use ability RoboticUnderstanding these challenges can help engineers know what to see in their own subjects.

Power and crisis of openness

Open-access publication, software and educational materials are fundamental to pursue robotics. They have democratized access to knowledge, enabling fertility, and promoting a vibrant, associate international community of scientists. Arxiv and like platforms Github And like open-source initiative Robot operation system ,Offices) And this Open Dynamic Robot Initiative Has become important in fast Robotics research And innovation, and there is no doubt that they should be openly accessible. Losing access to these resources will be disastrous in the field of robotics.

However, robotics consist of dual use risks as most robotics techniques can be rebuilt. For military use Or Harmful objectiveA recent example of custom-make Drone Current conflicts are particularly practical. Resurrection Increase in civil drone technology Received worldwide, often praise, news coverage. Their creativity is made possible through commercial drones, spare parts, 3D strength PrinterAnd availability of open-source software and hardware. This allows people with small technical backgrounds and money to easily create, control and reproduce for military applications. One can certainly argue that it has a strong impact on Ukrainians who defended their country. However, these same conditions also offer opportunities for a wide range of potential bad actors.

Openly available knowledge, design and software can be misused to increase the current Weapon System with capabilities like vision Navigation, autonomous targeting, or herdAdditionally, the public nature of the open-source code makes it unsafe until proper security measures are taken. Cyber ​​attackPotentially allowed malicious actors to gain control of robotic systems and cause them malfunction or used Rude purposeMany ROS users already recognize that they do not invest enough Cyber ​​security For their applications.

Guidance is necessary

Dual use risks from openness in research and innovation is a concern for many engineering sectors. Do you know that engineering was basically only a military activity? The word “engineer” was coined in the Middle Ages to describe “a designer and fortification and creator of arms”. Some engineering expertise, especially they include development Weapons of collective destruction (Chemical, biological, radiological and atoms), have developed clear guidance, and in some cases, research and innovation can be operated and transmitted, regulating for. They also have community-granted procedures, which are meant to reduce the risks of dual use associated with spreading knowledge. For example, biorxiv and medrxiv-preprint Server For biology and health science – screen submission for materials that induce a bio -safety or health risk before publishing them.

The area of ​​robotics, compared, does not give any specific regulation and little guidance to how robotists should think and address the risks associated with openness. Most universities do not taught the risk of dual use, yet it is something that students will face in their careers, such as when their work is assessed. Export control rules on dual use items,

As a result, robotists cannot feel that they have an incentive or are equipped to evaluate and reduce the risks of dual use associated with their work. This represents a major problem, as damage associated with open robot research and misuse of innovation is likely to be greater than atoms and biological research, both require much more resources. The production of the “Do-It-Eorcell” robotic weapon system using open-source design and software and off-the-shelf commercial components is relatively easy and accessible. Keeping this in mind, we wonder that it is a high time for the robotics community how researchers and companies can best navigate the risks of dual use related to the open spread of their work.

A road map for responsible robotics

Balancing between safety and openness is a complex challenge, but a robotics community should embrace. We cannot stop innovation, nor can we ignore the ability to harm. An active, multiple approach is required to navigate the dilemma of this dual use. Drawing lessons from other areas of engineering, we propose a road map focusing on four major areas: education, encouragement, moderation and red lines.

Education

Integration of research and innovation responsible in Robotic education All levels are paramount. This includes not only dedicated courses, but Systematic inclusion Dual use and Cyber ​​security Thoughts within the core Robotics coursesWe should promote a culture Innovation So that we can strengthen roboticists to make informed decisions and address potential risks.

Educational initiative may be involved:

Incentive

All must be encouraged to assess the potential negative consequences of making their work completely or partially open. Funding agencies can make the risk assessment compulsory as a condition for the funding of the project, indicating their importance. Professional organizations, such as IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (Ras), can adopt and promote best practicesProviding equipment and outline to researchers to identify, assess and reduce risks. Such devices may include self-assessment checklists for individual researchers and establishing guidance moral review boards for faculty and laboratories. Educational magazines and conferences can make colleague-review risk assessment an integral part of the publishing process, especially for high-risk applications.

In addition, incentives such as prize and recognition programs can highlight exemplary contribution Risk assessment And mitigation, promoting the culture of responsibility within the community. Risk assessment can also be encouraged and rewarded by more informal methods. People in leadership posts, such as Ph.D. Observers and chief of laboratories, can create ad hoc opportunities to discuss possible risks for students and researchers. They can catch a seminar on the subject and introduce outdoor experts and stakeholders such as social scientists and experts of non -governmental organizations.

Control

Robotics can apply community Self-regulation system To moderate the spread of high -risk materials. This may include:

• Screening work before publishing to prevent the spread of materials to prevent severe risks.
• Applying Access Control (“Getting”) who receives graduation degree for some source code Or data on the open-source repository, potentially users need to identify themselves and specify their intended use.
• To ensure transparency and establish clear guidelines and community inspections to prevent misuse of these moderation mechanisms. For example, organizations such as RAS can design the categories of risk levels for robotics research and applications and create a monitoring committee to track and document the real matters of misuse of robotics research to understand and imagine the scale of risks and to create better mitigation strategies.

Red line

The robotics community should seek to define and implement red lines for the development and deployment of robotics technologies. Efforts to define red lines have already been made in that direction, especially in the context of IEEE Global Initiative on the morality of autonomous and intelligent systemsCompanies, including Boston dynamics, Unilateral, Agile robotics, Clearing robotics, Any kindAnd Open robotics Wrote an open letter for the rules on WeaponUnfortunately, their efforts were very narrow in the scope, and further mapping of robotics is a lot of value in the final uses, which should be considered off-lymph or demand additional precautions.

It would be absolutely difficult for the community to agree on standard red lines, as the one who is considered morally acceptable or problematic is highly subjective. To support the process, individuals and companies can consider what they consider unacceptable use of their work. This can lead to policies and use conditions that beneficiaries of open research and open-source design software have to be formally agreed (eg specific-use open-source license). This will provide a basis to cancel access, deny software updates, and potentially prosecute those who misuse technology. Some companies, including Boston dynamicsAlready, these measures have been implemented to some extent. Any person or company can operate open research, repeating this example.

Openness is the key to democratization of many engineering subjects, including innovation and robotics, but it also increases the ability to misuse. It is the responsibility of the engineering community to address the dilemma of double use. From education and risk evaluation to moderation and red lines, by embracing responsible practices, we can promote an ecosystem where openness and safety co -existence. Challenges are important, but much more to ignore bets. It is important to ensure that research and innovation benefit society globally and do not become the driver of instability in the world. This goal, we assume, align with the mission of IEEE, which is “advance technology for the benefit of humanity”. Engineering community, especially robotists, need to be active on these issues to prevent any backlash from society and potentially competitive measures or international rules that can cause damage Open science,