The future and intelligent machines: charting the path

The article contains excerpts from summary report of the workshop on research needs in robotics and intelligent machines for emerging industrial and service applications. The workshop was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the IEEE US Activities Board and the Robotic Industries Association. The workshop met to discuss the future of robotics and intelligent machines, and to determine if there was enough of a shared vision to work together to realize it. At conclusion, the group agreed that there was a broad and deep common vision and determined to work together to achieve it. The vision is to create and maintain an enterprise in intelligent machines and systems, national in scope, that aligns the needs of US companies in the industrial, agriculture and service sectors with the research, educational commercial, and governmental needs and resources of the country. This paper summarizes the actions recommended at the meeting to achieve the vision.