Analysis of Technical and Ethical Acceptability of Wireless Body Implant Applications

doctoral thesis

• Title (croatian): Analiza tehničke i etičke prihvatljivosti uporabe radijskih implantata
• Author: Hrvoj Lehpamer; MBZ: 132484
• Mentor: Hrvoje Domitrović (mentor)
• Committee member: Borivoj Modlic (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Ratko Magjarević (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Ivan Koprek (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing; (Department of Electroacoustics); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2011-06-20, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: TECHNICAL SCIENCES; Computing
• Universal decimal classification (UDC): 004 - Computer science and technology. Computing. Data processing

Abstract

Application of wireless neural implants is a highly controversial topic. Unfortunately, it is a common occurrence that during development of many new technologies, social and ethical issues are not examined. The complexity of procedures examining ethical issues is one of the main reasons for this situation as well as ethical audit of the project demands additional time and resources. In the doctoral thesis research discusses the wireless implant technology and focuses on the necessity of an ethical analysis as the part of the development process of the wireless neural implants from the very beginning. In addition, patients and their families should have saying in which procedure to select, in case there is more than one possible way to go. Patients’ dilemmas are sometimes tied to personal beliefs (lifestyle, religion, upbringing, etc.) and could lead to ethical challenges that have to be examined as well. Included in this thesis is an approach using a modified multicriterial decision-making process. The main idea behind this analysis is to combine the existing methods for making complex decisions and stakeholders ethical approach and use it in the case of wireless neural implants, which are the most controversial among implants because they interact with the brain and its activities. Since brain is what defines us as humans, it is obvious that any procedure temporarily or permanently altering its functionality is highly sensitive topic and has to be analyzed to the best of our abilities and knowledge at the present time.

Abstract (croatian)

Razvoj moždanih radio-implantata je vrlo kontraverzna tema. Nažalost, česta je pojava da se tokom razvoja novih tehnologija zanemare socijalna i etička pitanja. Složenost postupaka za ispitivanje etičkih pitanja je jedan od bitnih razloga za sadašnju situaciju kao i činjenica da su za etičku analizu projekata potrebni dodatni kadrovi i vrijeme. U dizertaciji je opisana tehnologija radio implantata te osvrt na potrebu za etičku analizu kao dio procesa razvoja moždanih radio-implantata od samog početka projekta. Nadalje, pacijent i njegova obitelj također moraju imati utjecaj na izbor tipa medicinskog zahvata u slučaju kada postoji više različitih mogućnosti. Pacijentova dilema može biti uvjetovana osobnim uvjerenjima (način života, religija, odgoj, itd.) i može voditi etičkim dilemama koje se također moraju ispitati. U dizertaciji je korišten modificirani postupak za multi-kriterijsko donošenje odluka. Glavna ideja u ovoj analizi je kombiniranje postojećih metoda za donošenje složenih odluka i etičkih stavova zainteresiranih osoba i primjena na moždane radioimplantate, čija je primjena najkontraverznija jer utječu na mozak i njegov rad. Budući da je upravo mozak taj koji nas definira kao ljudska bića, očito je da bilo kakav postupak koji bi privremeno ili stalno modificirao njegov rad vrlo osjetljiva tema i mora biti analizirana na najbolji mogući način i u skladu s najnovijim saznanjima na tom području.

• Keywords: wireless body implants; ethics; WBAN; RFID; MICS
• Keywords (croatian): radijski implantati; etika; WBAN; RFID; MICS
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:168:649128
• Project: Number: 036-0361630-1633; Title: Predviđanje, motrenje i zaštita od buke; Leader: Hrvoje Domitrović; Jurisdiction: Croatia; Funder: MZOS; Funding stream: ZP
• Study programme: Title: Computer Science; Study programme type: university; Study level: postgraduate; Academic / professional title: Doktor znanosti (Doktor znanosti)
• Catalog URL: http://lib.fer.hr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=35433
• Type of resource: Text
• Extent: 268 str ; 30 cm
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Closed access
• Created on: 2019-06-12 12:45:32