NSF Leads Interagency Collaboration to Develop Advanced Robotics

The National Science Foundation (NSF)
June 24, 2011

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will take the lead with three other federal government agencies to support the administration's National Robotics Initiative (NRI) and released a solicitation for proposals today.

NRI complements the Obama administration's Advanced Manufacturing Initiative and technology transfer efforts and supports the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively, with people and that enhance individual human capabilities, performance and safety.

"It's exciting to be on the forefront of creating new knowledge and to play a catalytic role in the development of smart technology that enhances America's productivity and ultimately the quality of life of Americans," said NSF Director Subra Suresh. "It's also an opportunity to harness the expertise of our colleagues in several government agencies to tackle a major challenge and to bolster creative science and the U.S. economy. NSF is proud to lead this effort."

As per the initiative, NSF, along with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will advance the science and engineering of co-robotic systems that safely co-exist in close proximity to humans in the pursuit of mundane, dangerous, precise or expensive tasks.
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