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Generation Robot

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Generation Robot

About This Lesson

Robots are about to transform how we live. Decades of science and engineering research (and lab time) are behind it.

The global market for robotics, long dominated by industrial uses, is beginning to see a shift toward new consumer and workplace applications as robots are increasingly used in homes, hospitals, on farms and even in space. The number of cooperative robots, or co-robots, that work beside and with humans will only grow in the coming years.

Decades of fundamental science and engineering research – much of it funded by the federal government – spurred these advances and helped machines interpret their environment and humans’ instructions so they may operate safely and reliably alongside people.

In 2011, capitalizing on this long-term research, President Obama launched the National Robotics Initiative (NRI) – a multi-agency collaboration to accelerate the development of next-generation robots that can solve problems in areas of national priority. The long-term vision of the NRI is to integrate co-robots safely in our everyday lives so that they can help us at work and at home, assisting with difficult or dangerous tasks, from construction to demolition, and supplementing human abilities.

Through the NRI, NSF and federal agency partners have funded more than 230 projects in 33 states, with an investment totaling more than $150 million. These projects have led to robots that can inspect bridges, monitor water quality and even aid in future space missions. Just as importantly, NRI has brought together disparate research communities and inspired scientists working on fundamental research questions to consider their work in the context of national needs such as agriculture, health, space, defense and hazard reduction.

With coordinated federal effort, the NRI has charted a path forward for the development of collaborative robots, one in which we can interact safely and naturally with robots as part of our everyday lives. Continuing investment will allow the brightest minds in robotics to tap novel research opportunities and explore new avenues for tomorrow’s co-robots, increasing the nation’s economic competitiveness and enhancing our quality of life.

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