Festival of Social Science 2023: Lifelong Wellbeing

Description

I am the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Wellcome Trust Fellowship project 'Caring Machines' [223540/Z/21/Z]. Through my research, I look at care robotics and aim to build a constructive dialogue between experts (roboticists) and the public (potential end-users) to help ensure responsible AI and robotic innovation in health and social care.

For the Festival of Social Science 2023, I was awarded an ESRC Impact Acceleration Grant to organise a public engagement event where I will invite members of the public to create images of robots (or other technologies) they would like to assist them in the future. Participants will learn about the current state of care robotics (potential and limitations), and will have an opportunity to share their personal views on these technologies through visual arts (collage making workshop). The event is titled “Make Your Robot!” and will be held in Edinburgh.

Older adults, people with cognitive/physical disabilities, their families (including children), and caregivers are potential end-users of AI and robotic care technologies. However, these populations very often do not have a say in innovation practices. This event provides an opportunity for these audiences to have their needs and opinions heard and to help ensure responsible innovation.

This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science which is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences. The Festival consists of a series of events run each autumn and is an opportunity for anyone to explore topics relating to social science, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education and identity, through events run by researchers from UK universities. Events range from exhibitions, lectures and panel debates through to performances, guided walks, and workshops.

Period	27 Oct 2023
Event type	Other
Location	Edinburgh, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National