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Dear colleagues,</div>
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We are pleased to announce a Call for Abstracts for a forthcoming Special Issue of
<i>Mefisto – Journal of Medicine, Philosophy, and History</i>, entitled: <b>Autonomous Robotics in Medicine: Philosophical and Ethical Perspectives</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"><b>Guest editors:</b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Francesco Bianchini – University of Bologna –
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><a href="mailto:francesco.bianchini@unibo.it" data-outlook-id="6d38b33c-823a-4d66-8c53-442605453c9a" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">francesco.bianchini@unibo.it</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"><br>
Martina Bacaro - University of Bologna - </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><a href="mailto:martina.bacaro2@unibo.it" data-outlook-id="33c060d9-da7f-444c-b061-ad27b446eb5a" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">martina.bacaro2@unibo.it</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"><b>Overview: </b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Autonomous robotics is increasingly being integrated into medicine and healthcare, from rehabilitation and patient assistance to psychiatry and neurodegenerative
disease care. While much attention has been given to technical advancements, the epistemological, ethical, and philosophical implications of these developments remain underexplored. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, this special issue of
<i>Mefisto – Journal of Medicine, Philosophy, and History </i>will contribute to a deeper understanding of the implications of autonomous robotics in medicine and its impact on the future of healthcare. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Possible areas of inquiry include how the integration of autonomous robots in clinical practice might be reshaping traditional notions of medical expertise and
decision-making, as well as the epistemic, ethical, and social consequences that may arise from delegating aspects of patient care to robotic systems. Contributions could explore how autonomous robots in medical and healthcare contexts challenge existing models
of human-robot collaboration and consider which conceptual frameworks might help to better understand their role. Moreover, this issue seeks to encourage a critical assessment of the limitations of current robotic systems in medicine and to reflect on how
their promises and risks can be evaluated from an ethical and philosophical perspective.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">We welcome submissions addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"><b>Epistemology of Medical Robotics</b></span></p>
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– How does autonomous robotics reshape medical knowledge and clinical decision-making?</div>
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– In what ways do autonomous systems influence diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic interventions?</div>
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– What kinds of biases and limitations emerge in data-driven models underlying autonomous medical robots?</div>
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<b>Ethics and Normativity of Robotic Autonomy</b></div>
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– How do autonomous robots affect patient trust and medical responsibility?</div>
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– What ethical concerns arise from the use of AI-driven robotics in patient care?</div>
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– How should technological efficiency be balanced with human-centered care and ethical considerations?</div>
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<b>Autonomous Robotics and Medical Practice</b></div>
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– How does the introduction of autonomous robots alter the organization of medical work and diagnostic frameworks?</div>
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– What new forms of human–robot collaboration emerge in rehabilitation, psychiatry, and elderly care?</div>
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– How do patients and healthcare professionals perceive and interact with autonomous robotic systems?</div>
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<b>Humanoid/non-humanoid robotics in medicine</b></div>
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– How can human–robot interaction impact medical practice?</div>
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– Which robotic shapes and features are most useful in medical contexts?</div>
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– Medicine and the uncanny valley problem</div>
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<b>Specific applications and case studies</b></div>
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– Autonomous robotics in motor and cognitive rehabilitation</div>
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– Autonomous robots in psychiatric therapies</div>
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– Assistive robotics and patient autonomy in neurodegenerative disease care</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Contributions are welcomed from a broad spectrum of areas, including Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences, Philosophy of Medicine, Philosophy
of Psychiatry, Philosophy of Psychology, Philosophy of Artificial intelligence, Philosophy of Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction Studies, and Ethics. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"><b>Submission Guidelines</b></span></p>
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Abstracts of up to <b>500 words</b> (excluding references), clearly outlining the main argument and contribution of the proposed paper, should be submitted by
<b>15 February 2026 </b>to:</div>
<p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Francesco Bianchini –
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><a href="mailto:francesco.bianchini@unibo.it" data-outlook-id="6d38b33c-823a-4d66-8c53-442605453c9a" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">francesco.bianchini@unibo.it</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Martina Bacaro –
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><a href="mailto:martina.bacaro2@unibo.it" data-outlook-id="33c060d9-da7f-444c-b061-ad27b446eb5a" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">martina.bacaro2@unibo.it</a></span></p>
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Selected authors will be notified by <b>28 February 2026</b> and invited to submit a full paper by
<b>30 May 2026</b>. Full papers should not exceed <b>8,000 words</b> (excluding references) and must follow the journal’s submission guidelines:
<a href="https://www.journal.edizioniets.eu/index.php/mefisto/Stylesheet" data-outlook-id="53ee2cf9-4cf1-472e-81bc-c0f906a2a5f5">
https://www.journal.edizioniets.eu/index.php/mefisto/Stylesheet</a> </div>
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For full paper submission, authors must register on the journal’s website and submit their manuscript as “Focus” for this special issue:
<a href="https://www.journal.edizioniets.eu/index.php/mefisto/about/submissions" data-outlook-id="70a9058c-174b-4377-8ea3-e962822a4424">
https://www.journal.edizioniets.eu/index.php/mefisto/about/submissions</a> </div>
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All submissions will undergo peer review by the guest editors and anonymous reviewers.</div>
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<b>Timeline</b></div>
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<div role="presentation">Abstract submission deadline: <b>15/02/2026</b></div>
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<div role="presentation">Notification of acceptance: <b>28/02/2026</b></div>
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<div role="presentation">Full paper submission deadline: <b>30/05/2026</b></div>
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<div role="presentation">Expected date of publication: <b>December 2026</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"><i>Mefisto</i> is classified as a “Class A” journal in the Italian evaluation system. For further info about the journal:
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><a href="https://www.journal.edizioniets.eu/index.php/mefisto/about" data-outlook-id="ec98398c-7059-429e-87f8-b941777b3697" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">https://www.journal.edizioniets.eu/index.php/mefisto/about</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">For any additional information, feel free to contact the guest editors.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Kind regards,</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Francesco Bianchini</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Martina Bacaro</span></p>
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