This position paper proposes a novel approach to the ethical design of social robots. We coin the term “Virtuous Robotics” to describe Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) designed to help humans reach a higher level of moral development. Our approach contrasts with mainstream approaches to robot design inspired by the other normative theories, Consequentialism and Deontology. In the paper we theoretically justify our proposal, illustrating how the Virtuous Robotics approach allows us to discriminate between positive and negative applications of robotics systems, of which we provide examples. From an ethical perspective, our proposal is theoretically robust because it is based on the assistive role played by the robot rather than the robot’s moral agency. From a designer’s perspective, Virtuous Robotics is technically feasible because it transfers the cognitive burden of HRI from the robot to the user, bypassing the need for complex decision-making abilities. From the user’s perspective, it is concretely advantageous, because it envisions a realistic way to make robots morally desirable in our lives, as supports for personal betterment and fulfilment.

该立场文件提出了一种新颖的社交机器人道德设计方法。我们创造了“美德机器人”一词来描述旨在帮助人类达到更高道德发展水平的人机交互（HRI）。我们的方法与受其他规范理论，结果论和本体论启发的主流机器人设计方法形成对比。在本文中，我们从理论上证明了我们的建议是正确的，它说明了Virtuous Robotics方法如何使我们能够区分机器人系统的正面和负面应用，并提供示例。从伦理的角度来看，我们的建议在理论上是可靠的，因为它是基于机器人扮演的辅助角色而不是机器人的道德机构。从设计师的角度来看，虚拟机器人技术在技术上是可行的，因为它可以将HRI的认知负担从机器人转移到用户，而无需复杂的决策能力。从用户的角度来看，它是特别有利的，因为它设想了一种现实的方法来使机器人在我们的生活中在道德上令人向往，作为对个人进步和成就的支持。