Professor Gearoid Millar will give a talk at The National Robotarium in Edinburgh as part of a Collider Event organised by the rECOver group.
During his talk, entitled 'Avoiding Pitfalls: Understanding the Social, Economic, and Political Implications of Green Tech Expansion', Millar will consider the ways in which green tech solutions may problematically connect to the negative aspects of technolological advancement, including human rights abuses and environmental distruction.
The wider event, Robotics in a sustainable world: accelerating or hindering?, will draw on the expertise of scientists, lawyers, sociologists and engineers to consider the challenges posed by green tech to science and society.
This is where the research must start; with a collaborative and trans-sector discussion of what questions need answering most urgently
Split between two sessions that will look at different aspects of sustainability and robotics, the event will close with a World Cafe, where large group dialogue will be encouraged and facilitated.
Participants will be guided by a series of questions, including: are robotics accelerating or hindering sustainable objectives? And, how can potential negative socio-economic or political impacts of robotics use be mitigated?
Following the event, the group will be working towards further research into new sustainable energy technologies and the suitable policy environments for developing technological solutions to environmental challenges.
The event is open to the public; to register, visit the event's page, here.