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Culled from Telegraph UK

British researchers are exploring ways to prevent information stored on robots being hacked or passed on to others, as part of a £2 million three-year project examining the implications of deploying robots in public spaces.

Humanoid robotics is an emerging research field that will become increasingly important as robots start to assist people in their daily lives, for example becoming companions for older people in their homes.

However, there is concern about how much information is gleaned and stored, particularly as these sociable human-seeming devices could lead to us being less guarded about what we reveal.

Dr Brown, Associate Director of Oxford University's Cyber Security Centre and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, is researching ways to enable these robots to glean information without compromising users’ privacy.

He explained that humanoid robots have the potential to gather, store and analyse data about our movements and activities.

It is therefore important to design robots that have privacy embedded into their design, so their information gathering is restricted to what is needed to interact and carry out their tasks.

"While they provide opportunities to make our lives easier, the potential loss of control over this information should concern us," said Brown.

"At Oxford we have been exploring how individuals can maintain control over information about themselves, while still enjoying the potential benefits of robotic technology."

One technique being developed involves organising people into groups with similar interests, either online or at social gatherings, without needing each person to share their interests.

This would also allow commuters to search for car-pooling partners without broadcasting their home location and work route, which will be useful as self-driven cars start appearing on Britain’s streets.

It would also help motorists plan routes allowing for rush-hour traffic without the need for pervasive monitoring infrastructures.

Brown's research is part of a wider project that aims to measure how people respond to robotic surrogates in public spaces.

Researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Bath, Exeter, Queen Mary University of London and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory are introducing an advanced-programmed humanoid robot, ‘Nao’, to the public in Bristol in 2015.