Abstract
Data collection, and the choices made from that data, are becoming increasingly consequential in our modern world. In my technical project, I built a sensor network for hypersonic flight. To better recognize the responsibility designers owe to users when such systems are deployed in high-stakes, real-world conditions, my research paper explored the morality of Tesla’s actions relating to its Autopilot system. Together, these projects provide a deep understanding of how sensor networks are designed, both from a mechanical standpoint and an ethical one.
Ground-based tests do a poor job of simulating true hypersonic conditions, and actual hypersonic flights are prohibitively expensive, making it very difficult for universities to pursue this line of research. I was part of a group tasked with designing and manufacturing a printed circuit board that gathered temperature, pressure, voltage, and current readings from multiple sensors, bundled that data, and transferred it to a radio transmitter. This board was placed in a glider dropped from a rocket to explore low-cost approaches to hypersonic test flights. It was centered around a microcontroller that communicated with various analog-to-digital converters and digital sensors across multiple communication standards. By building an in-house sensor suite, our team dramatically reduced the cost of one of the major components enabling this new type of research.
While my technical project carries a limited scope and no extreme consequences if it fails, other data acquisition and decision systems are far more impactful. A pivotal case in the continued advance of automation is the death of Joshua Brown in 2016, caused by an error in the Autopilot system of the Tesla he was driving. Using care ethics, an ethical model developed by Carol Gilligan that grounds moral judgment in the obligations of care that relationships create, I argue that Tesla acted ethically in its release of Autopilot, despite the tragic outcome. Through this case, I developed a clearer understanding of the duty designers carry toward those who will use the products they create.
Designing a sensor array shaped how I approached Tesla’s decisions. My appreciation for how unpredictable inputs can produce unavoidable system failures, and working through the futility of designing for every edge case, led me to view the Brown case with the knowledge that some failures occur regardless of preparation. Additionally, designing to precise specifications strengthened my grasp of what it means for a system to competently meet the standards set for it. Taken together, these two projects reinforced a core principle: engineering success is not measured by technical performance alone, but also by the care a designer takes to ensure their creation is safe and beneficial.
