Ibrahim alabdulla personal ethics blogs:

Personal statement of Commitment to ethical principles:

From the start of my journey as a student of electrical and electronic engineer i have been committed to the engineering sector as i aim to work in the engineering field in the future as it has been a dream for me for a long time to be an engineer in the future and being committed to the engineering sector will help me reach my goal. To accord with RAE/EC ethical principles, I will try my best in my studies and focus in my lectures now to be a better engineer in the future and be a good role model. RAE/EC also provide a good model of how one should conduct themselves.[1]

According to IET on rules of conduct, we should not take on tasks and responsibilities that a person is not reasonably competent to discharge the task, i agree with this rule by taking on a task that your not qualified for may lead to the work not being finished on time or the work being wrong which can lead to major problems and set back the group. The solution is that you should ask before taking on the task as there might be a more qualified person to take on the task.[2]

I have chosen Harvard as my choice of a good source where go can gain and learn a lot of new information on engineering and its ethical principles as it shows a good representation on How a good engineer should be and how they can improve themselves in many different waves.[3]

[1] engineering ethics, https://www.engc.org.uk/standards-guidance/guidance/statement-of-ethical-principles/

[2] IET rules, https://www.theiet.org/about/governance/rules-of-conduct

[3] Harvard source, https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/ethics-in-engineering

Equality, Diversity and inclusion:

By having a group of people from different cultures and backgrounds was very beneficial in my opinion as we each had different strong points which made it easier for us to split the work amongst the group which made it easier for us to finish the work that was asked from us and because we each come from different backgrounds we each had different ways of dealing with the problems which we have faced which made as choose what the best solution is and deal with the problem as best as we can.

It was a great experience the have learned and have gained a lot from especially with the great that i was with.

My response to the ethics of autonomous vehicles (blowing the whistle)

If we where creating a car for a company and discover that the design is flawed and that it might put people in danger we will be acting as a team to try and figure the best and quickest solution to the problem that we have in our design it’s important for as to work as a team as it’s money of the most important rules of IET and we will try to see where we went wrong from the start and see if we made the wrong decision when we gave out the work that should be done as there might be a more experience person in that area this is another rule in the IET. The company’s response to team should be that they give as a specific time to get rid and fix the problem that we have in the design and see if we mange to fix it and decide after that what our future will be, I don’t think any member of our team will blow the whistle as its one of the main ethics of being a good engineer and we all now that being a good engineer with good ethics is the most important thing. At the end i think we have a very strong group that have an aim of being a good engineer with engineering ethics.

Sustainability (A plan for maintaining the website for the duration of the assessment period):

There are a couple of things that we can do to to try and maintain the website for the duration of the assessment period we will try and keep the website up to date by trying to add anything missing onto the website and finishing any unfinished work and we can add pictures our the course of this model and add some documentation that is still unfinished we will also work together to fill of all of the pages available on the website.

Jamie’s personal ethics blogs:

Equality, Diversity and inclusion(EDI):

Having a team that consists of people from different cultures and background is vital. In my personal experience having a diverse team while working on our micromouse has allowed for a range of benefits. For instance, my teammates have approached problems differently, with their solutions being more efficient than mine at times. Furthermore, each of us have a range of different skills that allowed for the project to progress at a fast pace, another positive was that each of member got a chance to carry out tasks they enjoyed.

Lastly, it is important to have a diverse team as it truly represents the range of people who work in electrical engineering, this can inspire more people from all backgrounds to join the sector.

Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles – “Blowing the whistle”;

For this ethical problem I find myself in the position where I discover that there is a major flaw with the design of a car, as a result there is a high chance of one of the first production cars causing serious injury or killing a pedestrian.

As members of the IET, it is our responsibility to raise our concerns if we see malpractice that could lead to series injury or death. If we failed to raise our concerns through the appropriate means, we could be subject to disciplinary action.

If myself or one of my teammates decided to become a whistleblower then the company should have procedures in place in order for us to raise our concerns. If they do not have such procedures, a report may have to be made with an external organisation. Ultimately the company should not discriminate against my team, as making a protected disclosure which is known as whistleblowing is a protected act in most companies.

To conclude, as the team leader of delta, I would encourage my team to raise their concerns with the appropriate bodies/people if they saw wrongdoing. I am confident that each member of my team would blow the whistle in relation to the problem I outlined earlier.

Jamie Samuel, 30th April 2024

Design Sustainability and end of life recycling:

Sustainability is an important aspect of Electrical Engineering, this is why when designing the circuity of our micromouse we looked to be as sustainable as possible. One step that was taken was to use only one PCB which contained both the circuitry of our IR sensors and our special feature. This helped to reduce the overall amount of resources that we used for our Micromouse. Another way we tried to make our more sustainable was by reusing components from our demo breadboards, these included the circuits for the white line sensors and IR sensors.

After we have finished with our micromouse, it should be dismantled rather than it being thrown out. There are several parts that can be reused such as the resistors, LEDs, motors, wires and brackets and screws. Re-using reduces the need for new resources and it extended the life of already existing components.

Nayim’s personal ethics blogs:

Personal statement on ethical principles:

I read through the Statement of Ethical Principles by the Engineering Council and revised by the Royal Academy of Engineering. I found that the key ethical principles listed were; honesty and integrity; respect for life, law, the environment and public good; accuracy and rigour; and leadership and communication. As a student in engineering and an IET member, it is important that I commit to these principles. 

As the IET rules of conduct states, I should observe the statement of ethical principles set by the Engineering Council and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Honest and integrity involves being trustworthy and fair. This can include respecting the wishes of some to keep information confidential as well as respecting the privacy and rights of others. Integrity means that an ethical engineer should not accept corrupt influences such as bribes or professional misconduct. Additionally, the IET Professionalism and Ethics in Engineering states that miscarriages of justice, criminal activity, environmental harm and health and safety hazards should be reported to the employer. As an engineer, that means it is my responsibility to maintain my integrity and avoid malpractices which are not supported by the ethical principles. This also includes being aware of my actions such as acting reliably and aware of others actions where their work or behaviour has a negative impact on another.

Another ethical principle is the respect for life, including the health and safety of others and the natural environment. I should ensure that my work is lawful and justified. I will make sure to respect the personal information and intellectual properties of others and give importance to data protection and security of physical or digital assets. The IET states that engineers should avoid wasting natural resources and damaging the environment, which is supported by the Statement of Ethical Principles by the Engineering Council. Furthermore, when I am speaking on a public platform such as social media, I must be mindful of what I post to prevent slandering the company. I should also not give public statements on areas that I am not qualified in or providing information that might serve a certain agenda or support a certain party.

I will follow the ethical principles by acting with accuracy and rigour. This means I will act with care and prevent myself or others from being led astray when working on projects. I should also ensure that my knowledge is up to date and that my skills are still relevant by researching the latest advancements in engineering, which is stated in the Statement of Ethical Principles. The IET Professionalism and Ethics in Engineering also states that in addition to keeping knowledge and skills updated, I should keep records of the professional development that I have completed. Any work done by me or under my supervision is my personal responsibility and therefore I should not start professional work that I am not competent at or lack the relevant skills for.

By following the guidance provided by the IET, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council, I will be able to ensure that I act ethically and professionally to represent myself or a company.One source that I would recommend that relates to engineering ethics is from Tufts University: https://sites.tufts.edu/eeseniordesignhandbook/2013/engineering-ethics-2/. I chose this source as it relates more closely to me as an electrical and electronics engineer and since it provides a clear guide on how to solve ethical engineering problems. The procedure that is recommended is to define the problem and gather accurate and relevant information on the problem. Then multiple moral viewpoints on the problem can be analysed to come up with the most suitable course of action. This course of action should be supported by facts and statistics to prevent biases.

Statement on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

Throughout the micromouse project, we followed through with equality, diversity and inclusion. This is important as it ensures that everyone is respected as equal peers in the group. Equality, diversity and inclusion is essential as it ensures that despite different backgrounds and lifestyles, everyone is given an equal opportunity to prevent a minority group from being discriminated against.

Equality, diversity and inclusion also has advantages other than equal opportunities. It allows us to get perspectives from a range of different origins. Different backgrounds and cultures can affect how an individual thinks, which is useful for problem solving as it opens the doors to tackling a problem in a way that others in the group may not have thought of. By tackling a problem from multiple angles, people from different backgrounds might be able to develop a different solution to the same problem. This allows for a broader analysis of the problem and when comparing the different solutions we can identify the strengths and weaknesses to find the best solution for the problem.

Equality, diversity and inclusion benefited our micromouse team since we were able to form a group with people from different backgrounds who all had different strengths that we used to decide the roles for the project.

Statement on Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles:

For this issue, I will focus on the ethics of autonomous vehicles from the perspective of a design team working on designing a driverless car. I will be considering the consultation on the regulation of autonomous vehicles according to the Law Society. Our team’s reaction is that the proper safety precautions and standards should be set in place to ensure that any autonomous vehicle properly abides by safety standards to prevent accidents and negligence. 

A design team would need to decide on what is sufficiently safe for the autonomous vehicle. One metric that can be used to gauge safety is that autonomous vehicles are significantly safer than human drivers. This could be measured by autonomous vehicles having a much lower number of injuries and deaths in comparison to a human driver. Additionally a design team would need to ensure that the systems in place that do not prioritise a certain group over others or discriminate. This could cause problems where the autonomous vehicle might prevent an accident from occurring for only a certain group of race, sex or disability, which is not the ideal outcome as the systems should treat everyone equally to ensure safety of pedestrians. 

Additionally, proper authorisation of autonomous features should be in place to ensure that all companies producing autonomous vehicles meet a certain legal threshold for their features to ensure predictability between different autonomous vehicles and ensuring that autonomous vehicles would respond appropriately to different hazards. 

Another factor is misleading marketing in which consumers might not understand the extent at which they should pay attention to the road as the vehicle drives autonomously. Self-driving should be distinguished from assisted driving technologies so that the driver is aware of what classifies as autonomous and when they should be in control of the vehicle. There should be certain events in which the vehicles is able to respond to a hazard or fault and drive accordingly, without the input of the driver. Whereas the vehicle should also be able to effectively communicate to the driver that they are needed to take control of the vehicle if a hazard or fault is at a level where the vehicle cannot mitigate the issue by itself.

The design team would need to make sure that management understands these aspects for the autonomous vehicles to ensure that the vehicle does not cause more harm than traditionally driven vehicles.

Cost Breakdown and Billable Time:

Cost Breakdown:

The extra components we had to account for were the 128×64 OLED screen, the piezoelectric buzzers and the extra LEDs for our special features. Our shell costs approximately £8.40. WE only had two IR sensors but we had 2 IR emitters and 3 white LEDs for white line following. Approximately 5m of wire was used. The pi pico can be bought for £3.90 and the PCB was printed in the University, which cost approximately £35. All the components were provided by the university.

The total that we calculated for the production of our micromouse is £185.48. The following table summarises the prices.

Billable time:

The total time we spent in the lab during the micromouse project was 112 hours. We additionally did 5 hours of work on the micromouse in Gregynog. For a total of 117 hours each, we worked on the micromouse hardware, software and the website.

Hafiz’s personal ethics blogs:

Equality, Diversity and inclusion:

In this programme that we undertook “Group Design Exercise,” Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) plays a big role in achieving our goals of collaborative efforts. Together, as a team, we believe in creating an environment where each member is valued, respected, and acknowledged regardless of their backgrounds, identities, or origins. In the case of diversity, each member has their own unique ways of encouraging the development of creativity, innovation, and a broader understanding in tackling the issues that we faced during the micro-mouse building. In terms of inclusion, each step of the way, each member was not left behind, and we did our best to integrate everyone into our work. Lastly, by prioritising EDI, we strive to create a culture where all members are heard, contributions are celebrated, and every member has equal opportunities to achieve success.

Ethics of Autonomous Vehicle:

As engineers, we often find ourselves at the intersection of innovation and ethical considerations. The emergence of autonomous vehicles presents a prime example of this delicate balance, where groundbreaking technology collides with the imperative to prioritize safety and human welfare.

Imagine discovering a flaw in the design of autonomous vehicles, one that significantly increases the risk of pedestrian fatalities in the first production cars. In such a scenario, our team’s responsibilities under the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Rules of Conduct and its guidance on whistleblowing are clear: prioritizing safety and transparency above all else.

According to the IET’s Rules of Conduct, engineers are obliged to “hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.” This principle underscores our ethical obligation to address any design flaws that compromise safety, regardless of the potential repercussions.

As whistleblowers, our responsibility is to report the issue promptly and transparently, ensuring that relevant stakeholders are made aware of the risks involved. Transparency is crucial in fostering accountability and preventing potential harm to the public.

In an ideal scenario, the company would respond to the whistleblower with openness and a commitment to rectify the issue promptly. Transparency, accountability, and a dedication to prioritising safety should guide the company’s response to the whistleblower, fostering an environment where ethical concerns are addressed proactively.

In conclusion, navigating ethical dilemmas in autonomous vehicle development requires a steadfast commitment to safety, transparency, and ethical conduct. As engineers, it is incumbent upon us to prioritise human welfare above all else, even in the face of difficult decisions.

A reflection on how sustainability fed into my design:

The sustainability of the design was a deciding factor that went into making the micro-mouse. From the material used to operational efficiency, our design is committed to environmental responsibility and long-term viability. 

In the early stages, an environmentally friendly material was carefully chosen to minimise the impact on the environment. The chosen material was polylactic acid (PLA). This is a biodegradable plastic that, in the right conditions, will degrade naturally. By choosing a sustainable approach, we aim to reduce our project’s ecological footprint and promote responsible manufacturing practices. 

Furthermore, our team prioritises energy efficiency. This was achieved by ensuring that our design only needed a minimum effort to construct, with the least obstacle to overcome. Optimising and streamlining the process was a crucial part of making this possible. We are striving to create a more sustainable solution that aligns with our values.

In conclusion, the design of the micro-mouse reflects our commitment to sustainability; we want to produce a high-performance micro-mouse without compromising the environment. By doing so, we not only delivered a good micro-mouse but also contributed to a more sustainable future.