US robotics companies are pushing for a national robotics strategy, including establishing a federal office focused on promoting the industry at a time when China is making intelligent robots a national priority.
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Representatives of companies – including Tesla, Boston Dynamics and Agility Robotics – on Wednesday met lawmakers in Washington to show off products and push for the US to adopt policies that would boost American companies in a global race to develop the next generation of robots.
Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of humanoid start-up Apptronik, of Austin, Texas, pointed out to lawmakers that it was American carmaker General Motors that deployed the first industrial robot at a New Jersey assembly plant in 1961. But the US then ceded its early lead to Japan, which remains a powerhouse of industrial robotics, along with Europe.
The next robotics race would be powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and would be “anybody’s to win”, Cardenas said in an interview after the closed-door meeting. “I think the US has a great chance of winning. We’re leading in AI, and I think we’re building some of the best robots in the world. But we need a national strategy if we’re going to continue to build and stay ahead.”
The Association for Advanced Automation said a national strategy would help US companies scale production and drive the adoption of robots as the “physical manifestation” of AI. The group made it clear that China and several other countries already had a plan in place.
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