IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2016 - 12

in robotics. These can be summarized
as follows:
● hardware-based enhancements or
modifications (e.g., mechatronics,
sensors, actuators, power supply, end
effectors, and materials)
● ameliorations on the software side
(e.g., systems development, cloud
technology, and data security)
● human-robot interaction and safety
● improved action and awareness, perception (sensing and interpretation),
mobility, and cognition (including
machine learning and artificial
intelligence).
These domains of research are well
aligned with the model of the four robotic
revolutions depicted in Figure 1,
a model that describes the former and
future disruptive waves of evolution in
robotics and automation.
These evolutionary stages are not
mutually exclusive but overlap, coexist
with, and enhance each other. We are at
the moment on the brink of transitioning from the first to the second revolution-but of course conventional
robot-based automation will not cease to
exist [7].

Two European Robotics
Road Maps
The Strategic Research Agenda for
Robotics in Europe 2014-2020 (SRA)
and the Multi-Annual Roadmap for
Robotics in Europe-Horizon 2020
(MAR) are both published by SPARC:
The Partnership for Robotics in
Europe (Figure 2), a public-private
partnership (PPP) that "joins together
the European Commission, on the
public side, and euRobotics AISBL,
on the private side" [8]. SPARC aims
to strategically position European
robotics in the world and ensure its
benefits for the European economy
and society at large. Therefore, the
180-plus member organizations contribute their expertise from industry,
research, and business and compile
them in the two road map documents. SPARC's main purpose is to
connect the science base with the
market. Both road maps outline a
descriptive framework for robotics
and automation in Europe, but the
SRA provides a higher-level strategic
overview, while the MAR goes into
greater technical detail [8], [9].

The SRA provides an overall picture
of the status and potential of robotics
in Europe, of the markets and robots,
applications, technologies, goals, and
targets. The target group includes policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs
who want to learn more about the
robotics market in Europe. The SRA is
especially interesting in the context of
Horizon 2020 [10], the current European Union (EU) framework program,
which concentrates on innovation and
the transfer of knowledge and technology to the marketplace. The main goal
of this EU-wide research and innovation program is to secure Europe's
global competiveness. According to
Horizon 2020, as robotics is a technology with a huge potential impact on
different markets and industries,
Europe has to strengthen its position
in this field, competing with other
countries and regions, such as Asia [8].
The MAR, on the other hand, provides a deeper insight on particular topics related to innovations, markets, and
products, covering three areas: domains
(e.g., manufacturing and consumers),
system abilities (e.g., adaptability or

Innovation

First Robotic Revolution

Second Robotic Revolution Third Robotic Revolution

Fourth Robotic Revolution

Robot-Based
Automation Solution

Sensitive and Safe
Robot-Based
Automation Solution

Cognitive, Sensitive,
and Safe Robot-Based
Automation Solution

Mobile, Sensitive,
and Safe Robot-Based
Automation Solution

Figure 1. The four robotic revolutions, or waves of robotic disruption [7].

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DECEMBER 2016
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