An Ethical Approach to Transient Electronics

Background
Biodegradable technology is a solution to one of the USs biggest problems: pollution.
A new innovation in biodegradable technology is transient electronics. Transient electronics
are electronics that disintegrate when they come in contact with water. These electronics do
their job and once that task is completed it disappears. The materials used in transient
electronics are not harmful to the environment or humans because they are water soluble.
Transient electronics have a bright future due to the many applications that it can use in.
Whether its to release medication into the body or dispose of old electronics in a nonharmful way, these biocompatible materials have many practical uses.
As an engineer at the Materials Research Corporation, my main focus is on transient
electronics. My team consists of Tom, the team manager, Sara, the regulatory affairs
associate, Ken, one of the research engineers, Beth, the test engineer, and Pat, the quality
engineer. As the other research engineer, my main task is to gather information and data on
the experiments I conduct. I am responsible for signing off on the products reliability and
safety. For the past 9 months, my team has been working with Sony to develop a new phone
using the transient materials that we designed.
My boss Tom and Sony want the new phone to be released in a month but Ken and I
have not finished testing the long term effects of heat, radiation and pH levels. These factors
can potentially change the dissolution rate and make the phone dissolve before it the owner
wants it to. Sony and its investors want to be the first ones to release a biodegradable phone
on the market and are pressuring my team to finalize the design so it can go into production.
We dont know the full effect that long term heat and pH levels will affect the phone and we
still want to do testing. Should I sign off on a design that has not been thoroughly tested and
potentially release a defunct product on the market? People use their phones daily to
communicate with others and leisure activities. Knowingly releasing a faulty phone would
affect millions of people. And if the effects of heat and pH levels are harmful, that would put
millions of lives at risk and taint my company and Sonys reputation.
Is It Worth The Risk?
Transient electronics offer a way for people to dispose of their old phones without
added to the massive landfills that already exist. Transient electronics consist of an electronic
circuit made of silicon, magnesium, and zinc encapsulated in silk to control the rate of
dissolution. In the phone that we designed, we built in a remote sensor that will tell the phone
to start to dissolve. Only the owner of the phone has the remote and can do as they please
with it. The transient circuit in the phone also acts as the battery and the battery can be
charged by a standard USB charger or by movement of the muscles [1]. Since this phone is
completely made of transient materials, it is very flexible and will not break if it is dropped
on the ground, bent, or even stretched [1]. This new technology would be the first
commercialized use of transient electronics and could lead to more of our electronics being
made with transient circuits. Sony and my company hope to become as iconic as Steve Jobs
did when his Company Apple released the first iPhone. His team revolutionized the way
people see and use their phone. My team and Sony hope to do the same.
Due to this goal, I feel pressure from everyone on the team especially from my Boss.
This phone could show people the benefits of transient electronics and get more investment
towards new projects. Although there are many benefits, is releasing a faulty product worth
the risk?

Engineering Code of Ethics

All engineers are required to follow and act in accordance with an engineering code of
ethics. In the National Society of Professional Engineers code of ethics, the fundamental
canons states, Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, heath, and welfare of the public
Engineers shall conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to
enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession[2]. Engineers should always
think about how their actions or decisions will affect the welfare of the public. Releasing a
phone that could endanger people would violate the obligations that we must follow as
engineers. There have been many cases in which a company knowingly sold faulty products.
One example is Johnson & Jonson selling a hip implant that had a 40% failure rate within
five years of implantation [3]. They had plenty of evidence stating that the implant is likely to
fail over the next couple of years but they decided to ignore their data and released it anyway.
Thousands of people had to get a new surgery to replace the implant just so Johnson &
Johnson could make a profit. Where is the line drawn between gaining a profit at the expense
of innocent people?
One of the fundamental principles of the Code of Ethics of Engineers issued by the
National Institute of Ceramic Engineers states, Engineers uphold and advance the integrity,
honor, and dignity of the engineering profession by using their knowledge and skill for the
enhancement of human welfare [4]. When engineers act honorable and with integrity, it
makes the whole profession look better. In the article Ethics in Engineering, Eric
Butterman writes, One of the most powerful gifts of engineering is how it improves lives.
But, in the wrong hands, it can be the opposite [5]. Engineers have the power to do
wonderful things by improving peoples lives. When we as engineers dont fully understand
the power that we have, people can get hurt. I rather lose funding than be morally responsible
for someones pain due to my lack of ethical reasoning. When engineers make mistakes and it
becomes publicly known, their image gets tarnished and everyone will remember what they
did. An example of this is the Citicorp Tower designed by William LeMessurier. In 1978,
William LeMessurier designed the Citicorp Tower in New York City[6]. This building
received a lot of praise for its innovative design because it did not take up much space on the
ground. During the calculations for stress on the building, LeMessurier forgot to calculate the
diagonal stress from the wind [6]. He estimated that the building would be able to withstand a
16 year storm and not a 50 year storm it was built for [6]. At first he was hesitant, but then he
realized that millions of lives were at stake and immediately began to reconstruct the building
with the new designs [6].
William LeMessurier had a morally obligation to admit his fault and do the right thing
just as I have to do. The code of ethics of engineers provides engineers a way to check their
conduct and see if they are acing ethically. In NSPEs Code of Ethics, the fourth directive
under the first rule of practice states, Engineers shall not permit the use of their name or
associate in business ventures with any person or firm that they believe is engaged in
fraudulent or dishonest enterprise [2]. The code of ethics is telling me to not sign but my
company and boss are relying on me.

The Pros and Cons of a Code of Ethics 500

A Code of Ethics provides a basis for which all engineers should conduct themselves.
If engineers ever find themselves in a stressful situation, they can refer to the code of ethics to
try and make the right decision. The code of ethics for engineers is like state laws for citizens
or the 10 Commandments for Christians. It guides engineers in the right direction when a
decision isnt an obvious one. On his online blog Michael Josephson wrote, The purpose of
a corporate ethics program is not to make people ethical but to increase the likelihood that
theyll act ethicallyAn organization can further improve its ethical track record by assuring
that it has clear and credible statements of values and standards of conduct. When
supplemented with quality training, those values and standards can clarify expectations and
reduce misconduct resulting from ignorance or misinterpretations of laws or company
policies [7]. A code of Ethics sets a standard for engineers to live by especially since an
engineers work directly affects people. Without a code of ethics for me to abide by, I
wouldnt know what the best decision would be. In my heart, I know it would be wrong to
side with my company and not think about the consequences of signing the paper but Ive
also been working at Materials Research Corporation for 5 years and I consider my team a
family. The money we would gain from this deal with Sony would help further many research
projects that we plan to do.