A Roadmap for US Robotics – From Internet to Robotics 2020 Edition
By Henrik Christensen, University of California, San Diego, USA, hichristensen@eng.ucsd.edu | Nancy Amato, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA | Holly Yanco, University of Massachusetts, USA | Maja Mataric, University of Southern California, USA | Howie Choset, Carnegie Mellon University, USA | Ann Drobnis, Computing Community Consortium, USA | Ken Goldberg, University of California, Berkeley, USA | Jessy Grizzle, University of Michigan, USA | Gregory Hager, Johns Hopkins University, USA | John Hollerbach, University of Utah, USA | Seth Hutchinson, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA | Venkat Krovi, Clemson University, USA | Daniel Lee, Cornell University, USA | William D. Smart, Oregon State University, USA | Jeff Trinkle, Lehigh University, USA | Gaurav Sukhatme, University of Southern California, USA
Abstract
Recently, the robotics industry celebrated its 60-year anniversary. We have used robots for more than six decades to empower people to do things that are typically dirty, dull and/or dangerous. The industry has progressed significantly over the period from basic mechanical assist systems to fully autonomous cars, environmental monitoring and exploration of outer space. We have seen tremendous adoption of IT technology in our daily lives for a diverse set of support tasks. Through use of robots we are starting to see a new revolution, as we not only will have IT support from tablets, phones, computers but also systems that can physically interact with the world and assist with daily tasks, work, and leisure activities. The present document is a summary of the main societal opportunities identified, the associated challenges to deliver desired solutions and a presentation of efforts to be undertaken to ensure that US will continue to be a leader in robotics both in terms of research innovation, adoption of the latest technology, and adoption of appropriate policy frameworks that ensure that the technology is utilized in a responsible fashion.
A Roadmap for US Robotics – From Internet to Robotics 2020 Edition
Recently the robotics industry celebrated its 60-year anniversary. We have used robots for more than six decades to empower people to do things that are typically dirty, dull and/or dangerous. The industry has progressed significantly over the period from basic mechanical assist systems to fully autonomous cars, environmental monitoring and exploration of outer space. We have seen tremendous adoption of IT technology in our daily lives for a diverse set of support tasks. Through use of robots we are starting to see a new revolution, as we not only will have IT support from tablets, phones, computers but also systems that can physically interact with the world and assist with daily tasks, work, and leisure activities.
The “old” robot systems were largely mechanical support systems. Through the gradual availability of inexpensive computing, user interfaces, and sensors it is possible to build robot systems that were difficult to imagine before. The confluence of technologies is enabling a revolution in use and adoption of robot technologies for all aspects of daily life.
Thirteen years ago, the process to formulate a roadmap was initiated at the Robotics Science and Systems (RSS) conference in Atlanta. Through support from the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) a roadmap was produced by a group of 120 people from industry and academia. The roadmap has been updated 2013 and 2016 prior to this update.
The present document is a summary of the main societal opportunities identified, the associated challenges to deliver desired solutions and a presentation of efforts to be undertaken to ensure that US will continue to be a leader in robotics both in terms of research innovation, adoption of the latest technology, and adoption of appropriate policy frameworks that ensure that the technology is utilized in a responsible fashion.
