Experts say feeling pain could prevent machines from hurting themselves and others

While pain can be an unpleasant experience, it is a fundamental mechanism in organisms to help them identify threats. But should robots be programmed to experience pain? A new documentary from Cambridge University tackles this divisive issue, looking at the philosophical, ethical and social questions involved with artificially programming pain responses. Science fiction author Isaac Asimov first came up with the three'laws' of robotics in a story called'Runaround', published in 1942. The first of these laws says a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.