IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2021 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
Science Matters, Robotics Matters
By Yi Guo
A
s I write this editorial, it's been a
year since the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the
United States. I am waiting for
my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
while monitoring the number of daily
infections around me to make a decision
on whether to send my kids back to
school or keep them in remote learning
longer. The vaccines provide light out of
the long dark tunnel of the global pandemic.
But there are still uncertainties
ahead, and masks and social distancing
may be needed into the next year to
keep the coronavirus in check. As we
sort out success and disappointment, we
can start to reflect on what we have
learned and what really matters.
During the frustrations of lockdowns
and the disappointment of delays of
reopenings, there was uplifting news as
well as exciting moments that made us
hopeful. SpaceX set a new rocket reuse
record with its successful Starlink satellite
launch, which drove down the cost of
space access and connected the globe
with Internet coverage through a satellite
constellation. Multiple COVID-19 vaccines
were developed in record time, and
new messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines
were the first authorized for use in the
United States, which would not be possible
without decades of technology development
working out the details of an
mRNA strategy. Regeneron's antibody
cocktail provides a therapeutic substitute
for the naturally occurring immune
response, which helps to reduce viral levels
and improve symptoms in nonhospiDigital
Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2021.3074079
Date of current version: 11 June 2021
4 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE * JUNE 2021
talized COVID-19 patients.
We may not know when we
will be completely out of the
woods, but we now have
more tools to combat the
novel coronavirus and have
benefited from science and longterm
investment in research and technology
development.
I recently came across this historical
story of the great horse manure crisis
over a century ago. Back in the 19th
century, transport in cities depended on
horse-drawn carts, drays, and wains
that constantly worked to transport
people and deliver the goods needed by
the rapidly growing population. This
posed a public health hazard as horse
droppings piled up. It was predicted in
the 1890s that horse manure would
reach the level of Manhattan's thirdstory
windows by 1930, and The Times
of London forecast that the streets in
the city would be buried under nine
feet of manure in 50 years. The problem
seemed intractable at the time. What
eventually helped cities with the problem?
The arrival of the automobile,
which was once referred to as " fast
horses. " Automobiles outnumbered
horses in New York City by 1912, and,
in 1917, the city's last horse-drawn carriage
made its final run. Technology
innovation solved a public health crisis.
A century has passed, and we've seen
disruptive technologies that have provided
new toolboxes that otherwise
would not be imaginable. A new dawn
of driverless cars is upon us. From horseless
to driverless, autonomous cars
promise to be disruptive and transformative.
Hopefully, self-driving trucks
can help solve the problem of
driver fatigue and long-term
health as well as highway
safety faced by the commercial
motor vehicle industry;
autonomous robots can assist
the elderly in nursing homes or
assisted-living facilities, thus helping ease
the problem of caregiver shortage; and
robotic process automation can improve
efficiency in assembly lines and manufacturing
tasks and replace high-risk
jobs. The list can go on.
There are many science and robotics
frontiers that may lead to solving the
grand challenges faced by our human
society which seem unsolvable with
today's tools and technology. While we
do not know exactly which tools will
prevent the next possible pandemic
from happening or what disruptive
technology could solve issues of sustainable
energy and climate change, we
know the power of innovation, and we
believe that the next generation of
bright young minds will push the frontiers
and answer the calls. We must nurture
the culture of innovation and
encourage the younger generation to be
truly innovative.
This June issue is a special issue on
emerging paradigms for robotic manipulation.
The guest editors, Maria Pozzi, Virginia
Ruiz Garate, Arash Ajoudani, Kensuke
Harada, Monica Malvezzi, Leonel
Rozo, and Maximo A. Roa, have worked
hard and selected nine articles that report
on innovative grasping and manipulating
techniques from the lab to the productive
world. I hope you enjoy reading the issue.
Be inspired; be innovative.
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2021
