10 challenges for the future of robotics

With robotics on the rise, Imperial researchers look to the future, exploring everything from nature-inspired robot swarms to the ethics of AI. Robotics is often still considered futuristic sci-fi, but the rapid rate of innovation suggests that we are well and truly living in a robot age. Where do we go from here? The journal Science Robotics , edited by Imperial researcher Professor Guang-Zhong Yang , who is Director and Co-founder of the Hamlyn Centre , recently formed an expert panel and identified ten ' grand challenges ' facing modern robotics science. These grand challenges look at the key areas where we should expect to see exciting and extraordinary developments over the next decade, and which questions deserve attention as the pace of invention increases. What will robots be made of?. Rather than conventional gears and motors, robots could be made from new groups of materials in the future, such as materials that harvest and store energy or are biodegradable. Techniques like 3D printing have revolutionised robotics, but new technology could cover a wider size range and we will increasingly see smart materials used in robotics.