This book covers many aspects of cyberspace, emphasizing not only its possible ‘negative’ challenge as a threat to security, but also its positive influence as an efficient tool for defense as well as a welcome new factor for economic and industrial production. Cyberspace is analyzed from quite different and interdisciplinary perspectives, such as: conceptual and legal, military and socio-civil, psychological, commercial, cyber delinquency, cyber intelligence applied to public and private institutions, as well as the nuclear governance.

This study deals with an underexplored area of the emerging technologies debate: robotics in the healthcare setting. The author explores the role of care and develops a value-sensitive ethical framework for the eventual employment of care robots. Highlighting the range of positive and negative aspects associated with the initiative to design and use care robots, it draws out essential content as a guide to future design both reinforcing this study’s contemporary relevance, and giving weight to its prescriptions. The book speaks to, and is meant to be read by, a range of disciplines from science and engineering to philosophers and ethicists.

The integration of robotic systems and artificial intelligence into healthcare settings is accelerating. As these technological developments interact socially with children, the elderly, or the disabled, they may raise concerns besides mere physical safety; concerns that include data protection, inappropriate use of emotions, invasion of privacy, autonomy suppression, decrease in human interaction, and cognitive safety. Given the novelty of these technologies and the uncertainties surrounding the impact of care automation, it is unclear how the law should respond. This book investigates the legal and regulatory implications of the growing use of personal care robots for healthcare purposes. It explores the interplay between various aspects of the law, including safety, data protection, responsibility, transparency, autonomy, and dignity; and it examines different robotic and AI systems, such as social therapy robots, physical assistant robots for rehabilitation, and wheeled passenger carriers. Highlighting specific problems and challenges in regulating complex cyber-physical systems in concrete healthcare applications, it critically assesses the adequacy of current industry standards and emerging regulatory initiatives for robots and AI. After analyzing the potential legal and ethical issues associated with personal care robots, it concludes that the primarily principle-based approach of recent law and robotics studies is too abstract to be as effective as required by the personal care context. Instead, it recommends bridging the gap between general legal principles and their applicability in concrete robotic and AI technologies with a risk-based approach using impact assessments. As the first book to compile both legal and regulatory aspects of personal care robots, this book will be a valuable addition to the literature on robotics, artificial intelligence, human–robot interaction, law, and philosophy of technology.

Minimally invasive surgery has impacted the outcomes of surgery more than any technology since the development of sterile technique. The hard science has demonstrated that decrease in wound complications and recovery time has created the biggest gap with open approaches to surgery. The total economic benefit may be unfathomable when looked at comprehensively. Integral to the rise of minimal access and therapeutic techniques in surgery has been the growth of technological improvements over time. Beginning with insufflators, videoscopy, and energy devices, that evolution has continued into the development of tele-surgical devices that feature full articulation of instruments, high-resolution 3-D optics, and computer assisted movement. This has come with controversy – as the dominant manufacturer of robotic assisted devices, Intuitive Surgical, and their generations of da Vinci surgical platforms, holds enough market share to spur cries of monopoly and financial excess. However, with over 3000 world-wide systems in use, and over 6000 peer-reviewed research articles, the impact of robotic surgery cannot be ignored. The current state of data suggests equivalency in most procedures with regard to traditional outcome measures, equal or somewhat elevated costs, with specific areas of superiority. The first section of this textbook, Surgical Robots, covers the history, economics, training, and medico-legal aspects of robotic surgery that will be of interest to students, residents, fellows, surgical staff, and administrators or public health specialists who seek to gain a comprehensive background on robotic surgery, or justification for purchasing a robotic system for their institution. Surgeons will also find this background valuable to their practice, to give context to their procedures so they can better counsel their patients, help with advocating for robotic platform purchases, and proactively prepare themselves for medico-legal issues. The chapter on legal issues will have specific instances of robotic surgery-related lawsuits and their outcomes, a first for robotic surgery texts. The second section of this textbook, Robotic Procedures, will contain a comprehensive catalogue of procedures that have been performed robotically in general surgery, gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, cardiothoracic, and otolaryngology. Each author will cover the existing literature, preoperative planning, room and patient setup, steps of the procedure, and postoperative care. Standardized room maps and port placement will help the student, resident, fellow, surgeon or OR Staff to quickly reference these before cases. Each chapter will also cover the specific equipment needs and expected complexity of the procedures, allowing administrators to better gauge how to prepare for, or ration, use or their robotic resources. The final section, Future of Robotics, will give the entire scope of audience a look into what exciting advancements in the field are on the horizon. This textbook is a complete resource for robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery, covering the history, current state, technical and clinical aspects, and future considerations that may be of interest to any who has a role, stake, or curiosity regarding robotic surgery.

The present book intends to provide a comprehensive guide to the field of robotic bariatric surgery. It covers all the stages and procedures needed to fulfill credentialing for performing robotic surgery. Also, robotic surgery is presented as an institutional program, and we describe how to establish a robotic program in a hospital environment. The currently accepted and most common procedures – sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and duodenal switch – are described in detail, with a step-by-step description of the techniques, followed by a wealth of photos and videos for each case. Special attention is given to the employment of robotic bariatric surgery in exceptional conditions, such as in super-obese patients, reoperations and revisional procedures. Critical issues, for the success of the robotic surgical interventions, such as anesthesia, are also addressed. Finally, the outcomes of robotic bariatric surgery are described, including long-term weight loss, improvement and resolution of comorbidities and improvement in quality of life. Bariatric Robotic Surgery is the first book specially devoted to this modality of surgical intervention. It is a fundamental tool for surgeons, residents and fellows who want to start a robotic bariatric surgery program. The book also helps experienced robotic surgeons to keep up to date with the various available robotic surgical techniques.

Beginning by dispelling some of the myths about services, this provocative volume examines the growth in services, the way technology has shaped this growth, and the consequences for the American economy. Chapters discuss such topics as the effects of technology on employment patterns and wages, international trade in services, and the relationship between services and the traditional manufacturing industries.

As foreign direct investment of U.S. multinational firms increases rapidly, some key questions emerge from this trend: What is the true nature of multinationality and what are its impacts on firm performance? Both questions are answered in this book through an examination of the nature of multinationality and its alternative measures and the effect of the degree of multinationality on firm performance, where firm performance is expressed by firm value, financial performance, prediction performance of earnings forecasts, diversification strategy and ownership structure, and corporate financing. The book is of value to all those interested in international business, finance and accounting issues, including professional accountants, business executives, teachers, researchers, and students.