Ethical considerations for Bionic Eyes

Dr Kate Fox

In conjunction with

Dr Frederic Gilbert

(UTas)

kfox@unimelb.edu.au

Code of Ethics

We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree:

• to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety, health, and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;

• to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;

• to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;  • to reject bribery in all its forms;  • to improve the understanding of technology; its appropriate application, and potential

consequences;  • to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others

only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations;  • to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors,

and to credit properly the contributions of others;  • to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or

national origin;  • to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;  • to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in

following this code of ethics.

But really...

kfox@unimelb.edu.au

Bionics

What impacts ethics?

Media?Coolness factor?Patient groups?Replacement of body parts?Animal testing?Long term effect on society

concept of combining computing and electronics into medicine and directly interfacing with the human biological system does not seem too foreboding

From animals to human...

kfox@unimelb.edu.au

Human clinical trials are also guided by strict ethical guidelines

• Ethics Committees• Govt Regulation• FDA

Careful selection protocols

• subject must understand the risk of implantation • manage the subject’s expectations. • “preconceived perfect outcome”

By focusing on the positive outcomes, both the scientific literature and the popular media neglect common ethical issues (risk–benefit ratio, informed consent, inclusion–exclusion, side effects, patient’s autonomy, etc.).

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS...

NO DIRECT CORTICAL STIMULATION HAS PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE LONG TERM IN HUMANS

Replacement of Organs

• Replacement of body parts demonstrate the ethical minefield– Should you treat children– Is blindness/deafness a disability

• Significant funding into cortical and peripheral neuron interfacing devices accelerated by US military interests

• What can benefit one can be misappropriated by others

• Cost?

Questions raised

• Does this give an unfair advantage?• Are you pushing the human body past

its safety point?• How well do such replaced parts hold

up under pressure• Are you taking advantage of a

susceptible population?• Is this a rich man’s technology?