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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Autonomous Vehicles And The Ethical Tension Between Occupant And Non-Occupant Safety, Jason Borenstein, Joseph Herkert, Keith Miller Nov 2020

Autonomous Vehicles And The Ethical Tension Between Occupant And Non-Occupant Safety, Jason Borenstein, Joseph Herkert, Keith Miller

The Journal of Sociotechnical Critique

Given that the creation and deployment of autonomous vehicles is likely to continue, it is important to explore the ethical responsibilities of designers, manufacturers, operators, and regulators of the technology. We specifically focus on the ethical responsibilities surrounding autonomous vehicles that these stakeholders have to protect the safety of non-occupants, meaning individuals who are around the vehicles while they are operating. The term “non-occupants” includes, but is not limited to, pedestrians and cyclists. We are particularly interested in how to assign moral responsibility for the safety of non-occupants when autonomous vehicles are deployed in a complex, land-based transportation system.


Autonomous Vehicles And The Ethical Tension Between Occupant And Non-Occupant Safety, Jason Borenstein, Joseph Herkert, Keith W. Miller May 2019

Autonomous Vehicles And The Ethical Tension Between Occupant And Non-Occupant Safety, Jason Borenstein, Joseph Herkert, Keith W. Miller

Computer Ethics - Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) Proceedings

Autonomous vehicle manufacturers, people inside an autonomous vehicle (occupants), and people outside the vehicle (non-occupants) are among the distinct stakeholders when addressing ethical issues inherent in systems that include autonomous vehicles. As responses to recent tragic cases illustrate, advocates for autonomous vehicles tend to focus on occupant safety, sometimes to the exclusion of non-occupant safety. Thus, we aim to examine ethical issues associated with non-occupant safety, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and riders of motorized scooters. We also explore the ethical implications of technical and policy ideas that some might propose to improve non-occupant safety. In addition, if safety (writ large) …


Thermal Comfort For Occupants Of Nursing Homes: A Field Study, Federico Tartarini, Paul Cooper, Richard Fleming Jan 2018

Thermal Comfort For Occupants Of Nursing Homes: A Field Study, Federico Tartarini, Paul Cooper, Richard Fleming

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The primary aim of this research was to assess the quality of the thermal environment of six Australian nursing homes, and to understand and quantify the impacts of the indoor thermal environment on the perceptions and comfort of staff, residents and other occupants. The impact of the thermal environment on perceptions and comfort of building occupants of six nursing homes was determined through: 1) a long-term building evaluation survey (staff members only); and 2) a point-in-time thermal comfort study, involving 322 residents and 187 non-residents. In addition, a combination of spot-measurements and long-term monitoring of indoor air temperatures was used …


Thermal Perceptions, Preferences And Adaptive Behaviours Of Occupants Of Nursing Homes, Federico Tartarini, Paul Cooper, Richard Fleming Jan 2018

Thermal Perceptions, Preferences And Adaptive Behaviours Of Occupants Of Nursing Homes, Federico Tartarini, Paul Cooper, Richard Fleming

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

While the rapid increase in the fraction of people aged over 65 is driving a substantial increase in the number of people living in nursing homes, there has been very limited previous research carried out on how residents of nursing homes perceive their thermal environment and there is a lack of thermal comfort guidelines for the aged care sector. This article reports on a study to investigate thermal perceptions, preferences and adaptive behaviours of occupants in five nursing homes. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire while local environmental parameters were monitored in their near proximity using portable equipment. Not …


Thermal Environment And Thermal Sensations Of Occupants Of Nursing Homes: A Field Study, Federico Tartarini, Paul Cooper, Richard Fleming Jan 2017

Thermal Environment And Thermal Sensations Of Occupants Of Nursing Homes: A Field Study, Federico Tartarini, Paul Cooper, Richard Fleming

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

A demographic shift is underway in Australia; the number of people aged 65 and over is rapidly increasing. Regulations have been implemented to enhance the quality of care being provided in nursing homes; however, in the aged care sector there is little by way of guidance addressing design and performance issues in regards to Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), and there is still uncertainty as to the perceptions of residents on specific IEQ factors. The objectives of this study are to determine: how accredited facilities are performing in regards to thermal comfort conditions; how indoor environmental factors can be assessed in …