Why is Robotics Difficult?

The robots that currently exist are very good at dealing with repetitive and predictable tasks, like working on an assembly line. But as soon as you start to introduce an element of unpredictability it becomes extremely difficult to program their behaviour reliably.

The trouble is the world we live in is full of unpredictability, and this presents a challenge for roboticists. In many respects today's robots are much like two-year-old children, only with less common sense. They can walk quite well, but have little experience being out alone and may get lost or distracted. Crossing the road safely is a challenge, as is reaching an item high on a shelf.

The roboticist has to spell everything out for them. Take the simple task of fetching something from a shop. There is no way to describe every possible type of obstacle or hindrance that might turn up along the way. So the roboticist tries to give the best instructions they can.

When you start to think about what this set of instructions involves it quickly becomes apparent how challenging robotics is.

We'd like the next generation of robot systems to be more like an adult friend than a 2-year-old, in terms of what they can do and how easily you would ask them to do it.