IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2023 - 6

compelling enough for
people to go out and
buy PCs, as of yet, it
is not clear what the
analogous application
would be for robotics
given its current state
of technology. I think
most would agree that
vacuum cleaning robots,
despite their impressive
sales, are not quite yet
the ubiquitous robot that
every home needs.
Despite my seem "
THE
FEELING THAT
WE ARE ON THE
CUSP OF SOME
KIND OF MAJOR
TRANSFORMATIVE
MOMENT IN ROBOTICS
IS ONE SHARED BY
MANY, THE ONLY
QUESTIONS BEING
HOW IT WILL
ingly pessimistic outlook
on the prospects
of seeing a robot in
every home anytime
soon, when it comes to
the transformative potential of robots,
I am very much inclined to optimism.
The feeling that we are on the cusp
UNFOLD AND AT
WHAT TIME SCALE.
„
of some kind of major
transformative moment
in robotics is one shared
by many, the only questions
being how it will
unfold and at what time
scale. Robots that can
pick objects and pack
and load boxes have
become increasingly
relevant in this age of
online shopping. Agricultural
robots that seed
and plant fields, remove
weeds, and pick fruit
are also beginning to
prove their commercial
viability, as are delivery
robots for restaurants
and office buildings.
Social robots built around large language
models are likely just around
the corner.
If I were to venture a prediction on
how the robotic transformation will
unfold, it would be a slow, bottom-up
grind of niches methodically being
filled with customized robots that perform
specific tasks in clearly defined
settings. It is worth keeping in mind
that the commercial and business challenges
in launching a successful robotics
startup are quite different from, say,
a software platform-based business,
and it seems unreasonable and unfair to
expect robotics startups to achieve the
market growth scales of software platform
businesses.
Later in the year, the IEEE Robotics
and Automation Society Industrial
Activities Board will be publishing
its first robotics industry report. I
invite you to engage with the board
and to share your thoughts on how you
think robotics as an industry will, or
should, evolve.
BECAUSE THE
FUTURE
IS NOW
OVER
200
INTERNATIONAL
CHAPTERS
OVER
40
TECHNICAL
COMMUNITIES
OVER
13,000
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6 IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE MARCH 2023
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IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2023

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