New U-M robotics undergraduate program to meet surging demand for roboticists

An inclusive-by-design degree program centers on how an embodied intelligence senses, reasons, acts and works with humans to establish a pipeline of people-first roboticists. The new undergraduate program in robotics at Michigan Engineering will empower students to practice the full spectrum of robotics-including underwater, wheeled, legged, flying and medical robots-at U-M's 134,000-square-foot Ford Motor Company Robotics Building. Announced today by the U-M Robotics Department, a first among top 10 engineering schools, the program is available for fall 2022 enrollment following state approval from the Michigan Association of State Universities on June 2. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for qualified robotics professionals grew by more than 13% in 2018 alone, and up to 80% of U.S. industrial employers are facing difficulties filling vacancies for highly skilled technical professionals, including robotics, computer vision, artificial intelligence and motion control. The global industrial and service robotics markets are expected to grow by more than 20% year over year, reaching a total market of $310 billion by 2025. "As our society grows, there's an unmet demand for people skilled in robotics, and Michigan Engineering is poised to help fill this void as a leader in this space,” said Alec D. Gallimore, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. "The college's Robotics Department will produce deeply trained roboticists who put people first, collaborating across disciplines to solve complex issues affecting the state of Michigan, our nation and the world at large.