This essay summarizes the current state of robotics, and previews the findings of a robotics roadmapping effort currently under way. Robotics originated with the goal of building human‐like machines, but it has become much more than that. Even though we are still decades away from human‐like machines, the developing robotics technologies are proving useful in ways that nobody expected: robot‐assisted noninvasive surgery; disposal of roadside bombs; automated lab science for drug discovery; even auto‐focus features in digital cameras. The broad impact of robotics is proven, even though robotics is still in the early stages of its development. Robotics thus affords a unique opportunity to make a cross‐cutting investment that advances both fundamental research and development in an area vital to U.S. competitiveness while providing the potential for near term job, business development and educational returns. Outlined below are the broad critical application areas for robotics. The creation of a $100 million initiative to be matched by industry to establish test beds in the major application areas could generate nearly 10,000 new jobs impacting a wide range of sectors. The specific proposal advanced is to create a competitive process to establish a series of robotics test beds in communities across the nation. These test beds would be devoted to specific health, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing and extended care services. The selected test beds must include large and small industrial partners, universities and engaged partners in the end use community. Recognizing the unique capacity of robotics to be a powerful tool for education, each proposal should incorporate a strategy for the test bed to engage K‐12 students and to foster the development of new educational applications. The remainder of the essay addresses the unexpected breadth and significance of robotics. Connecting computers to the real world ...
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