Robotics4EU co-creation workshops: robots are tested by their future end users
We are thrilled to share that the first Robotics4EU co-creation workshop was successfully completed in Vilnius, Lithuania!
On the 7th of February 2023, the Robotics4EU project hosted its first of four co-creation workshops. The workshop was a collaboration between The Danish Board of Technology (with Mette Simonsen, Anton Hvidtjørn, and Naja Kilime), and Agri-food Lithuania (with Diana Šalkauskienė). A big thanks to Robotics4EU partners (NTNU and Civitta) for supporting the workshop.
The workshop was integrated into a full-day conference called Startup Village Alliance hosted by Agri-food Lithuania. It brought together important actors within the nexus of agri-food and robotics. Here participants of the conference were given an opportunity for networking, business development, and funding opportunities.
At the co-creation workshop, robot developers and manufacturers were invited to collaboratively engage in discussions on their robotics solutions with end-users and stakeholders. The energy in the room was thriving with engaged participants co-creating actions towards a broader adoption of the developers’ robots into society.
At the workshop, the Danish Board of Technology developed a discussion tool for the assessment of non-technological aspects of robotics. Using the discussion tool, the participants first task was to assess the current Society Readiness Level (SRL) of the robots. SRL mirrors the Technical Readiness Level but instead of focusing on the technological maturity of the innovation, SRL investigates the societal aspects of the innovation processes and helps assess to what degree the innovation will be ready to be used in a societal context. It is “a way of assessing the level of societal adaptation of a particular technology or product that must be “integrated into society.” (Innovation fund Denmark).
After assessing the SRL of the robots the participants further engaged in how they can prepare the robots for society by discussing a set of reflexive questions within the five topics of: Ethics, Socioeconomics, Legal, Data, and Engagement & Education. The inspiration for the questions used in the discussion tool originates from the Maturity Assessment Model being developed in the Robotics4EU project. The model uses the same five topics: Ethics, Socioeconomics, Legal, Data, and Engagement & education.
The co-creation workshop provided a valuable opportunity for the participants to test their solutions with their future end users, while also giving participants a voice for the future development of responsible robotics. In addition to helping the robotics developers attending the workshop explore new perspectives, the outcomes of the workshop will also contribute to the further development of the Maturity assessment model.
“The board game [discussion tool] was really productive, our group discussed 6 different [question]-cards, and from my point of view, we learned many interesting facts [we can use] for our drone company. The overall idea is great.” – Statement from a participant at the workshop.
Are you a robot developer or potential end-user and do you want to participate?
For those of you who missed out on this workshop, we have exciting news! We’ll be hosting three more workshops in the spring on Healthcare, Inspection and Maintenance, and Agile Production.
If you are a) a robotics developer or manufacturer with a robotics solution within either Healthcare, Inspection and Maintenance, or Agile Production, or b) a potential end-user or stakeholder within the mentioned areas and you want to participate in a similar co-creation workshop, please reach out to project manager Mette Simonsen at mems@tekno.dk and give us a brief description of who you are and what area you would be interested in. It will be possible to receive reimbursement on travel and accommodation (upon agreement) to attend the workshops.
Author: Mette Simonsen and Naja Kilime
