The industrial revolution of the 19th century marked the onset of an era of machines and robots that transformed societies. Since the beginning of the 21st century, a new generation of robots envisions similar societal transformation. These robots are biohybrid: part living and part engineered. They may self-assemble and emerge from complex interactions between living cells. While this new era of living robots presents unprecedented opportunities for positive societal impact, it also poses a host of ethical challenges. A systematic, nuanced examination of these ethical issues is of paramount importance to guide the evolution of this nascent field. Multidisciplinary fields face the challenge that inertia around collective action to address ethical boundaries may result in unexpected consequences for researchers and societies alike. In this Perspective, we i) clarify the ethical challenges associated with biohybrid robotics, ii) discuss the need for and elements of a potential governance framework tailored to this technology; and iii) propose tangible steps toward ethical compliance and policy formation in the field of biohybrid robotics.

中文翻译：

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生物混合机器人研究的道德和责任


19 世纪的工业革命标志着机器和机器人时代的开始，改变了社会。进入21世纪以来，新一代机器人设想了类似的社会变革。这些机器人是生物混合体：部分是活体，部分是工程化的。它们可以自组装并从活细胞之间复杂的相互作用中产生。虽然活体机器人的新时代为产生积极的社会影响提供了前所未有的机会，但它也带来了许多道德挑战。对这些伦理问题进行系统、细致的研究对于指导这一新兴领域的发展至关重要。多学科领域面临的挑战是，围绕解决道德界限的集体行动的惯性可能会给研究人员和社会带来意想不到的后果。在本视角中，我们 i) 澄清与生物混合机器人相关的伦理挑战，ii) 讨论针对该技术量身定制的潜在治理框架的需求和要素； iii) 提出生物混合机器人领域道德合规和政策制定的切实步骤。