IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2021 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Stay Focused, Stay Connected
By Yi Guo

s I write this message, it is the
end of 2020. Looking back,
my life as a professor has
changed since March 2020,
when the COVID-19 pandemic hit
the United States. We quickly adjusted and adapted to virtual learning
environments, and our homes became office, classroom, and research
lab. With the kids also staying home
for remote classes, there was heavy
housework to
keep the enviLooking back, my life ronment organized and
as a professor has
clean. In-store
changed since March
shopping was
replaced by
2020, when the
online orders,
COVID-19 pandemic
which were
backed up due
hit the United States.
to a lack of essential workers
to deliver them. Many times, I found
myself hoping for a household robot
that could provide a helping hand with
chores or a delivery robot that could
drop off groceries regularly. Well, they
are not here in 2020. The isolation has
been mentally exhausting, and bad
news and death tolls from nearby retirement communities and assisted-living facilities made it worse. More than
ever, we need robots to serve humanity
and help address the pressing challenges faced by our society.
The year 2020 has also witnessed
unrest caused by social and racial
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2021.3050016
Date of current version: 22 March 2021

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

inequality and distrust of
authority. The information
age has brought unprecedented challenges, solutions
to which require the collective wisdom of a diversified
group of experts. There are many
lessons to learn from human collaborations, and it is hoped that robots will
interact with humans in a better and
more efficient way. It is our responsibility to establish trust and enhance the
acceptance of robots. We need to do
this right from the beginning.
Roboticists have experienced a new
way of connecting through virtual conferences in 2020. The 2020 IEEE/RSJ
International Conference on Intelligent
Robots and Systems (IROS) pioneered
a new on-demand platform that provided easy access to prerecorded videos
of technical talks, workshops, and tutorials anywhere, anytime, and with any
device. Free registration to the IROS
on-demand offerings broadened attendance globally and, in particular, benefitted participants around the world
who would not have the opportunity to
experience a robotics conference traditionally. There were more than 24,000
registrations as of 29 December 2020.
This pilot may inspire new ways of
organizing international conferences in
the postpandemic world.
After a few years on the editorial
board, I feel honored and excited to
lead IEEE Robotics and Automation
Magazine (RAM) and serve as its editor-in-chief. I would like to take this
opportunity to sincerely thank my predecessor, Bram Vanderborght, for his

MARCH 2021

vision and efforts in leading
RAM over the past five
years to today's strong position in the landscape of
IEEE periodicals. I would
also like to thank Editorial
Assistant Antonella Benvenuto
for her dedicated services to RAM. My
gratitude also goes to the retiring associate editors (AEs), Pinhas Ben-Tzvi,
Alexander Dietrich, Angela Faragasso,
and Soren Schwertfeger, whose terms
ended in 2020.
It is my great pleasure to welcome
Joyce Arnold from IEEE Publishing
Operations as RAM's new editorial
assistant. We have also selected a
diverse group of highly respected
researchers worldwide in their subject
areas relevant to robotics and automation to serve on the editorial board,
including a new editor, Jindong Tan,
and seven new AEs, Kingsley Fregene,
Antonio Frisoli, Jonathan Kelly, Ka-Wai
Kwok, Surya G. Nurzaman, Weihua
Sheng, and Enrica Zereik. Together
with our existing AEs and RAM Column Manager Amy Reeder, the team
will work closely in serving the community and ensuring RAM's continued
growth and success.
RAM publishes technical articles
that present original scientific results
through a focus on working systems. It
is also a forum connecting the entire
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
community as well as a channel for
sharing Society news and communication about activities. RAM special issues
report research findings at the forefront
of current trends and emerging topics.

IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2021