The two year European project  ROBOLAW (Regulating Emerging Robotic Technologies in Europe: Robotics facing Law and Ethics) is scheduled to start in March of this year.

The main goal of this project will be to provide the European Commission with a  “White Book on Regulating Robotics”. Essentially, this will be a set of guidelines which will contribute to the future establishment of  a solid framework of ‘robolaw’ in Europe.

Specifically, this research will investigate the ways in which emerging technologies in the field of (bio-)robotics will affect the meaning and setting of hard and soft laws in Europe.The current state of legislation and regulation pertaining to robotics, will be analysed, and   areas of regulation that are in need of adjustment or revision will be identified.  Researchers at the Scuola Superiori Sant’ Anna and others across Europe, also aim to explore the interrelations between technical, legal and moral norms in the field, promoting an ethically and legally sound basis for future robotics developments.