SSH Framework

Overview

The ARISE Social science and Humanities (SSH) Framework for Human-Centric and Ethical HRI is an open-access framework designed to promote human-centric and trustworthy Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). It provides a structured approach to addressing ethical, legal, and social dimensions in robotics.

Demos Helsinki, the SSH partner of the ARISE project, leads the ongoing development of the framework. To develop this framework, we examined the ongoing discussions and frameworks around technology ethics and the current day challenges of developing emerging technologies, particularly in the field of robotics and AI. This process involved a literature review, expert interviews, as well as ethnographic on-site visits to technology partners’ campuses. The first version of the SSH framework that emerged from these qualitative insights can be found here.

As part of the ongoing efforts to support HRI developers in integrating human-centric principles into their work, we developed a website (arise-ssh.info) that presents a more accessible and practical version of the ARISE SSH framework. Our hope is that this webtool can serve as the primary resource for technology developers to understand the SSH framework and discover ways to incorporate it into their projects’ decision making processes. In the webtool, you’ll find the two main sections of the framework: the SSH Toolkit and the Ethical Impact Assessment.

SSH Toolkit

The SSH Toolkit pages breaks down the framework into four main parts.

  1. ARISE Ethical principles: Introduction and brief description of the 8 ethical principles that lay the foundation for the framework.

  2. Legislation, guidelines, and standards: An overview of both the legally binding regulations and non-binding standards that might be relevant for HRI developers.

  3. Collaborative design tools: An overview of design thinking and a list of design toolkits appropriate for different contexts of robotics development.

  4. Case-specific ethical concerns: Examples of how the principles can be applied to specific scenarios of robotics development.

You can find these pages of the website at arise-ssh.info/toolbox

Ethical Impact Assessment

All of the open call beneficiaries that participate in ARISE must undergo an Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA) to ensure that projects are in compliance with Horizon Europe ethical standards and aligned with human-centric principles. The Ethical Impact Assessment pages explain the assessment process in terms of the Roles and Stages:

  • Roles: Explains the roles of the 4 key actors in the ethical impact assessment process (beneficiary projects, ethics committee, ethics mentors, and stakeholders)

  • Stages: Explains the 7 different stages of the ethical impact assessment.

You can find these pages of the website at arise-ssh.info/ethics_assessment

Contact

For general questions, you are welcome to use the ARISE Discord channel. For more personalized assistance or feedback on this webtool or any SSH-related concern, please contact Mariela Urra Schiaffino, the Demos Helsinki team lead of ARISE, at mariela.urraschiaffino@demoshelsinki.fi.