Abstract:
To investigate the ethical issues associated with elderly care robots in China, this study adopts the value-sensitive design(VSD) approach, which systematically incorporates ethical values and social considerations into technology design. First, stakeholders were identified, and 87 relevant studies were collected from the Web of Science and CNKI databases to identify the values emphasized by different stakeholder groups. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire surveys were then conducted to further examine stakeholder values and concerns. Additionally, 61 relevant publications were selected from the CNKI database to analyze ethical issues arising from the practical deployment of elderly care robots. The results indicate that most technologies prioritize social well-being while paying insufficient attention to privacy and dignity, and provide limited support for autonomy, social-emotional interaction, and social justice. Based on these findings, several recommendations are proposed to better support stakeholders' values, including strengthening privacy protection, balancing autonomy and caregiving, respecting older adults and fostering their emotional and social engagement, and promoting social justice in elderly care.