International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW)

Ethical and societal aspects of autonomous robotics (EGAR)

EGAR was a project working with seven robotics development projects in computer science, engineering, and medical technology. The projects were funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation’s research programme ‘Autonomous Robotics’. The scope of the research projects ranges from novel algorithms for sensors and robot vision through autonomous drones to exoskeletons and covers a wide range of robotics.

  • We analysed fundamental ethical and social issues that arise when robots intervene in social structures. The research questions were derived from the key issues of autonomy and responsibility, privacy and informed consent, and transparency and fairness.

  • We conducted empirical qualitative field research in the involved research projects to investigate which practices shape design and development in robotics. We used an ‘embedded ethics’ approach in which we are temporarily working directly in the projects and are part of the development process.

  • We synthesised these insights into mitigation strategies tailored to the projects in the ‘Autonomous Robotics’ research programme and made suggestions on how to deal with ethical, societal and legal challenges. EGAR offered regular workshops to facilitate discussions of these challenges.

  • In order to facilitate the public's understanding of robots and to incorporate ethical and societal perspectives, EGAR collaborated with the TECHNOSEUM Mannheim. In addition, EGAR investigated which ethical issues arise in science communication - i.e. how robots are communicated to the public, to what extent issues such as responsible research and ethics are conveyed and what effects this has on robotics research and development.

Highlights from the project

January 2026
Guidance document on the ethical aspects of autonomous robotics

The guidance document developed by EGAR, which is based on model cards (Mitchell et al. 2019), is available online and may be used freely. A supplementary document is available for further information. (only available in German)

January 2026
Fifth Ethics Workshop "Liability law in autonomous robotics research" with Prof. Dr. Moritz Hennemann and Jan Siebler (University of Freiburg)

Based on the scenarios developed during the third ethics workshop, Prof. Dr. Moritz Hennemann, M. Jur., and Jan Siebler explained liability issues in robotics research. 

October 2025
Fourth Ethics Workshop "Data Protection Law & Autonomous Robotics" with Prof. Michéle Finck (University of Tübingen)

Using scenarios developed in collaboration with projects from the Autonomous Robotics funding line, Prof. Dr. Michéle Finck, LL.M., explained which data protection aspects need to be taken into account.

July 2025
EGAR at the IACAP/AISB Conference on Philosophy of Computing and AI (IACAP/AISB-25)

Aline Franzke presented initial findings from the embedded ethics phase at the BWS project I-AssistADL at IACAP/AISB-25.

December 2024
EGAR at the TECHNOSEUM Mannheim

In a design thinking workshop organised in cooperation with the IIntegrierten Gesamtschule Mannheim  and the FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik Karlsruhe, pupils worked with robotics researchers to explore how robots might change their future working environments.

September 2024
Third Ethics Workshop "Liability and data protection aspects of autonomous robotics"

In joint cooperation with the projects of the Autonomous Robotics research programme, abstract scenarios were developed for the planned legal reports.

March 2024
Second Ethics Workshop Autonomy and Responsibility in Robotics Development

The second ethics workshop focused on normative perspectives on autonomy and robotics, as well as the implications of the EU AI Act for robotics development. 

June 2023
Kick-Off Meeting at the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung

The EGAR project team presented the accompanying project at the kick-off meeting of the Autonomous Robotics research programme in Stuttgart. 

Team and Contact

 

Funding

Duration: April 2023 - April 2026
Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation

Profile of the Autonomous Robotics Research Programme

Selected Outcomes

Open Ethics Base - EGAR’s collaborative work platform on Miro

Gießler/Franzke (forthcoming 2026): Das Erzählen von Maschinen. Ethische Implikationen von der Kommunikation über Roboter, in: Tagungsband Risikonarrative im Feld Privacy, Surveillance und Datenschutz. Nomos.

Franzke/Gießler (2026): Um ethische Reflexion erweiterte Model Cards für Autonome Systeme. (in german)

Franzke/Gießler (2026): Vom Labor in die Gesellschaft: Ein Leitfaden zur ethischen Gestaltung autonomer Systeme im Rahmen des Projektes EGAR: Ethische und gesellschaftliche Aspekte autonomer Robotik. Begleitdokument zu den Model Cards. (in german)

Co-laborative format: Bring mir den Hammer, Kollege Roboter! Workshop with pupils at the TECHNOSEUM Mannheim. 

Project description

EGAR had three research aims:

  1. Analysis: Based on the central topics autonomy and responsibility, privacy and informed consent, and transparency and fairness, the ethical and social aspects that arose in the Autonomous Robotics research programme were examined from a philosophical perspective.
     
  2. Integration: We provided in-process interventions to robotics research projects on how to incorporate ethical aspects in the development of autonomous robots and worked as ‘embedded ethicists’ in the projects.
     
  3. Science communication: In cooperation with the TECHNOSEUM Mannheim, EGAR presented these findings and positions to an interested public. In addition, EGAR explored how ethical and societal aspects of autonomous robotics are presented in science communication. 

Publications

Franzke/Gießler (2026): Um ethische Reflexion erweiterte Model Cards für Autonome Systeme.

Franzke/Gießler (2026): Ein Leitfaden zur ethischen Gestaltung autonomer Systeme im Rahmen des Projektes EGAR: Ethische und gesellschaftliche Aspekte autonomer Robotik. Begleitdokument zu den Model Cards.

Franzke, A. & Gießler, S. (2024):The Role of Ethics in Shaping Robotics Development. Breathing Time Blog of the IZEW.