RR-AI Project Days: Interdisciplinarity has so much more to offer!

by Maximilian Bauer & Saskia Kaltenbrunner 

A team of the Department of Innovation and Digitalisation in Law represented the University of Vienna at the Responsible Robotics (RR-AI) Project Week. 

The Responsible Robotics Project Week is part of the TUM Project Weeks, a new teaching initiative as part of a funding scheme for universities of excellence (excellence strategy) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) The Project Week took place from 10 to 13 January 2023 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. It aims at creating a framework in which participants from different disciplines (engineering sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and law) can cooperate across disciplinary boundaries within an academic environment. 

Iris Eisenberger and her team are part of the Responsible Robotics project, on which the Project Week is based. The project Responsible Robotics: Tracing Ethical and Social Aspects of AI-Based Transformations in Healthcare Work and Knowledge Environments (RR-AI) follows the innovative approach of integrating ethical, social, legal and political analyses in the AI product design.

Maximilian Bauer, Saskia Kaltenbrunner and Sophia Witz represented the Department of Innovation and Digitalisation in Law together with Iris Eisenberger. In addition, Sebastian Scholz and Anna Strassmeier from the University of Graz provided their legal expertise to strengthen the team. The participants of the Project Week found out that Garmisch-Partenkirchen has a lot to offer, despite the mediocre winter conditions. A special highlight was an encounter with a health care robot at the Research Center Geriatronics. Lovingly called “Garmi”, it does not only make the hearts of science fiction fans pound: Already during the current development stage, it is able to carry out various exercises with patients. And as far as the involved technicians are concerned, Garmi will actually be applied in a rehearsal clinic in a few years. 

But what does it mean to use robots in the healthcare sector? Can and should robotic care assistants such as Garmi really be allowed to have contact with “real” patients? The students and lecturers addressed these questions in detail from the perspectives of technology, social science, law and ethics.

Iris Eisenberger gave a lecture about interdisciplinary work from a legal perspective; Stevienna de Saille from the University of Sheffield held a Lego Serious Play Workshop which strengthened the cooperation in small groups. Following two additional lectures by Michael Macher and Theresa Willem, within a week, the students carried out an interdisciplinary research project on robotics and KI in the healthcare sector. Saskia Kaltenbrunner’s project was awarded for Best Interdisciplinary Design by the jury and Maximilian Bauer was awarded for Most Creative Presentation. 

The work in diverse teams was a challenge: It takes some time until people from fundamentally different disciplinary backgrounds manage to create a productive working atmosphere. A lot of communication and pragmatism are essential in the process. However, the effort pays off since different perspectives change and enrich one’s own perspective. 

Finally, we would like to thank the organisational team and can only recommend getting an idea of Garmi yourself.