Robohub.org
 

Robohub focus on frontier robotics: High risks, high rewards

by
27 June 2013



share this:

Researchers and entrepreneurs are used to weighing the potential risks and rewards of any project they are thinking of putting time and money into. Potential financial investors — be they government policy advisors, members of grant committees, venture capitalists or angel investors — are no different. But in terms of viability, some projects, visionary and game-changing as they may be, are far from certain. Even if overwhelming technical hurdles are navigated successfully, there always remains the risk that the market will not be ready …

… and if even if the technology makes it successfully to market, leaders in innovation face potential legal and policy risks as their products enter a social arena that may be unprepared for the disruption. And yet it is the very challenge of overcoming the odds, and the thrill of achieving the near-impossible — of turning science fiction into science reality — that drives leaders and visionaries to take bold risks.

It has been well-observed that the field of robotics is at a tipping point, but many questions remain. Which of the promised game-changing technologies will succeed? Which will fail? How to best support these emerging, visionary initiatives? When is the best time to invest? And, perhaps most poignantly, can we afford to be left behind?

Over the next few weeks, Robohub will host a special focus on high-risk / high-reward robotics that will feature original articles and interviews from leading experts robotics and funding. A new article will be released every other day or so, so look out for our new Focus logo if you want to follow the series!

Our goal is to explore the potential benefits and risks of frontier robotics research, and the factors that lead to its ultimate success or failure. The series will look at the financial, legal, human, and business risks — and potential rewards — of some of the most innovative and visionary robotics initiatives currently under development. This will be complemented by a look at the various funding models (including venture capital, government grants and crowd-funding) available to high risk/ high reward researchers, and the effect of policy, law, and other social factors on a society’s ability to innovate.

We hope you enjoy this focus series … feedback is welcome, so send us your comments!



tags: , , ,


Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large
Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large





Related posts :



Robot Talk Episode 93 – Matt Beane

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Matt Beane from the University of California, Santa Barbara about how humans can learn to work with intelligent machines.
11 October 2024, by

Robot Talk Episode 92 – Gisela Reyes-Cruz

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Gisela Reyes-Cruz from the University of Nottingham about how humans interact with, trust and accept robots.
04 October 2024, by

Robot Talk Episode 91 – John Leonard

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to John Leonard from Massachusetts Institute of Technology about autonomous navigation for underwater vehicles and self-driving cars. 
27 September 2024, by

Interview with Jerry Tan: Service robot development for education

We find out about the Jupiter2 platform and how it can be used in educational settings.
18 September 2024, by

#RoboCup2024 – daily digest: 21 July

In the last of our digests, we report on the closing day of competitions in Eindhoven.
21 July 2024, by and

#RoboCup2024 – daily digest: 20 July

In the second of our daily round-ups, we bring you a taste of the action from Eindhoven.
20 July 2024, by and





Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


©2024 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2021 - ROBOTS Association