Margo van Kemenade
An introduction
Dr. Margo van Kemenade is a sociologist and expert in the field of ethics combined with technology. Since 2021, she has been working as associate professor at the Research Group Robotics (Robotica), part of the Research & Innovation Centre Technology, Design and Computer Science (RIC-TOI). Here she focuses on practical applications of robots in care situations. The goal: to reduce the workload of healthcare staff and increase the autonomy of clients. She is committed to establishing multidisciplinary partnerships in healthcare and technology. In dialogue with clients and care institutions, she identifies and analyzes healthcare issues to transform them into care technology that adds value for all users.
Margo is working on an exercise robot for home rehabilitation of geriatric patients recovering from a stroke, in collaboration with care institutions such as Omring and physiotherapists. She is also working on care technology to alleviate loneliness among the elderly. And on technology to improve oral hygiene among elderly people in nursing homes. There is also ongoing research at the oncology department of Spaarne Hospital into the potential use of the care robot Maatje, in collaboration with the Research Group Innovation in Oncological (Network) Care.
Collaboration
The Research Group Robotics conducts research in multidisciplinary partnerships. Our researchers from Robotics work together with the Centre of Expertise Prevention in Care & Welfare (Centre of Expertise Preventie in Zorg & Welzijn), the Research Groups Health & Wellbeing of Vulnerable Elderly (Gezondheid & Welzjin van Kwetsbare Ouderen) and Societal Impact Design, and various care institutions and public institutions. Margo is a strong advocate of bringing together different disciplines, particularly with and among students. After all, the problems of today's society can only be solved by bringing together multiple fields in multidisciplinary collaboration.
Who is Margo van Kemenade?
Expertise
Expertise
Margo operates primarily at the intersection of care and technology, with a special focus on the ethical aspects of deploying care technology, particularly care robotics. She has also written a textbook for higher professional education technology programs on the theme of Ethics for Technology and ICT. In 2015, she won the NWO-KNAW Eureka Prize for Science Communication. This is an award for an exceptional contribution to increasing knowledge and engagement of a broad public with science. Margo is also chair of the Ethical Advisory Board of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Design, Department of Computing.
Ethics in Healthcare
Aging populations, chronic diseases and shortages of healthcare personnel are putting immense pressure on care systems. In recent years, technological developments have had an unprecedented impact on healthcare. But this progress also brings challenges, especially in the areas of privacy, health data security and digital ethics. Margo's research takes place in close collaboration with professional practice, which means the outcomes are often directly applicable and can be quickly implemented to improve work processes or products. But ethics must not be forgotten, especially as AI applications enter the field. Margo spoke about this tension at the World Summit AI 2024 in her lecture titled Balancing ethics and urgency. Designing a care robot for geriatric rehabilitation with sensitive data.
Yet Margo believes in the potential of care technology. Her credo is: technology can make care more human!
Experience
Experience
Margo has been working in higher professional education since 1993, for various universities of applied sciences and programs, ranging from Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering to Midwifery and Nursing. As a lecturer, she developed new educational programs and taught courses at bachelor's and master's level.
Margo has been engaged with the topic of Technological innovations in healthcare for a considerable time. In 2011, she was project leader of Health-Lab ICT in Healthcare. Health-lab is the name of the initiative that aims to create a 'real life' experimental environment in the Amsterdam region in the field of Care and ICT. The lab is an initiative of the Amsterdam Innovation Engine, the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Inholland, Sigra, AMSTA, Waag Society and the municipalities of Amsterdam and Almere. The Health-lab was also supported by the Province of North Holland and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
About Margo
About Margo
Margo speaks the language of engineers and at the same time feels at home in the healthcare domain. She gives lectures and debate sessions throughout the Netherlands and presents her work at various national and international conferences. Margo also debates on national television about ethics and social robotics in the healthcare domain.
It is important to her to enable public debate and to improve the thinking process about ethical issues raised by new technology. In addition, Margo is active as a volunteer member of the Supervisory Board of several large educational institutions.
"Care is and will always be fundamentally about people. Technology, including robots, can actually make care more human - when deployed thoughtfully."
- Margo van Kemenade, associate professor Robotics
Margo conducts research at:
Margo's publications
Can we Leave Care to Robots?
Can we Leave Care to Robots?
Moral Concerns of Caregivers about Social Robots in Eldercare
Moral Concerns of Caregivers about Social Robots in Eldercare
Healthcare Students’ Ethical Considerations of Care Robots in The Netherlands
Healthcare Students’ Ethical Considerations of Care Robots in The Netherlands
Robots Humanize Care: Moral Concerns Versus Witnessed Benefits for the Elderly
Robots Humanize Care: Moral Concerns Versus Witnessed Benefits for the Elderly