2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The following report explores new ethical considerations in the manufacturing industry that have arisen due to the advent of the fourth industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0. The concept of Industry 4.0 was researched to identify its impact on the manufacturing industry. One significant change of the era, namely the increased implementation of collaborative robots (COBOTs), was explored to determine the associated risks and their ethical ramifications. The risks of physical harm, cyber-attack, and electromagnetic interference-related malfunctions were identified and discussed, as well as their respective methods of risk mitigation. Then, the ethical implications were analyzed using the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics as well as the Utilitarian and Respect for Persons ethical frameworks. The rise in popularity of COBOTs in manufacturing has introduced the ethical responsibility to protect employees from new risks including physical harm during normal use and malfunctions due to cyber-attack and electromagnetic interference. Current and future engineers must be educated about the risks associated with COBOTs and their resultant ethical responsibilities.