The Future of Robotics

In the last few years, robotics has gradually moved out of the research lab into the mainstream. In the 2013 Roadmap published by the Robotics Visual Association, most references to robotics hovered around research. In the 2016 version, robotics is addressing real-time issues around the world.

This change is addressed by the publisher in a statement saying, “The Roadmap to Robotics is primarily a technical document. […] It is clear to the authors, however, that the development of robotics in the United States and elsewhere takes place against a backdrop of law, policy, ethics, and economics—among other social, cultural, and political forces.”

The Association has tracked slowed but steady growth in manufacturing, which could be attributed to the global financial crash. US GDP in the manufacturing sector has fallen by 2% from 14% to 12% and now accounts for only 9% of total employment as opposed to 11% in 2013. The robotics industry, however, has grown to $8B, up steadily 9% each year.

Japan and China have also become a huge presence in manufacturing and industrial robotics. With a country-wide initiative to become a leader in robotics, Japan has set its sights on the future of manufacturing. Interestingly, China is noted as the current leader in manufacturing, but that the US is set to outpace them by 2020. With the goal of bringing domestic manufacturing back, US industry is embracing the robot revolution and other countries are likely to follow suit.

The Association highlighted concerns about safety, legal liability, security, privacy and the impact on traditional manufacturing jobs. Recommendations were made for governments to increase their expertise around the topic of robotics, support research and reduce legal challenges for safety testing purposes.

Training and education was also addressed to present robotics as a new career path for both current manufacturing employees as well as young people about to enter the workforce.

This latest report represents a clear change since the previous version in that the Association has formally recognized that a symbiotic relationship between society and robotics will require effort and a change of mindset from research to real-world applications.