Abstract
As an engineer, our technologies are often innovated and designed to solve problems that exist in our modern society - at least this is how it starts. To begin, my capstone project was aimed at solving one of these societal problems - the issue of hospital navigation here at the UVA hospital. This idea was sparked by Professor Williams and his own experience navigating the hospital. Further conversations with hospital staff led our team to realize just how drastic this issue was, driving our motivation to solve it. As for my research paper, I chose the topic of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and the ethical issue of responsibility with their implementation in warfare. As someone who plans to work for the Department of Defense with the Navy as a federal employee, this issue resonated with me when thinking about the responsibility of engineers for what they create, especially in situations as extreme as warfare. Overall, both these topics are relevant to the field of computer and electrical engineering as they signify the importance of the technology we create to both better lives, but also at times worsen them if they are not used properly. With my capstone project, I am an engineer looking to solve a widespread issue to better the lives of specifically the elderly and disabled, and with my STS research, I am analyzing how certain technology grows beyond its initial purpose after being implemented. Therefore, I am seeing innovation from two crucial aspects in the engineering design process.
After talking with resources at the UVA hospital, including Rebecca Lewis (RN Administrator), Rachel Nauman (Associate Chief Nursing Officer),and Francis Caruccio (HealthcareFacilities Manager), our team learned just how bad the issue of hospital navigation was for them. Examples, including patients being slumped on walls and missing appointments consistently while trying to find their way around, led our team to build a handheld device that navigates their patients from the check-in desk to their appointment. We utilize bluetooth technology to set up beacons along a path that communicates with a device to make an arrow-based display showing users where to go next at each check point. By using a magnetometer in our device, we are able to keep directionality consistent no matter what way the user is holding the device, and through a clear and user-friendly LCD display, we are able to cater to the elderly and disabled.
Our end goal of this project was to create a technology that was better than pre-existing apps that have failed time and time again, according to the hospital staff. So far, our technology looks good, and with a simple route, it is able to successfully route someone with minor issues. Moving forward, our team discussed how different technology rather than bluetooth could be used since bluetooth is very sensitive to environmental interference and human interference. Also, the device itself could use more effort into the display, sizing, and casing to ensure proper patient satisfaction.
Next, I wrote my research paper, designed to provide insight into the question of whether or not there is a proper and existing framework to assign accountability for the usage of LAWS within warfare. By looking at case studies, including the Libya 2020-2021 incident and the Russo-Ukrainian War, I analyzed these two cases along with research through the lens of both the Actor-Network Theory and Technological Momentum. Through these two frameworks, I was able to gain an understanding of the historical development behind LAWS and the dense network of human and non-human actors this technology contributes to. More specifically, the issues it creates in this network for establishing responsibility behind it.
In conclusion, I found that due to the nature of the technology itself and its usage in the case studies, there is no effective framework that exists to hold it accountable. Through technological momentum, I also found that this technology is growing beyond human control and has the potential to cause drastic outcomes if a framework isn’t established as soon as possible. Therefore, LAWS should not be implemented within warfare until a proper and thorough framework for responsibility is established, and even then, it should never be fully utilized without human control and decisions determining the final outcome.
