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Mind / Iron
by Bryan Bergeron, Editor
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Academic vs. Commercial Robotics
PUBLISHER
Larry Lemieux
publisher@servomagazine.com
I had the fortune of participating in
the 7th IEEE International Symposium on
Computational Intelligence in Robotics
and Automation (CIRA) conference, held
this summer in Jacksonville, FL. Academic
researchers from Asia, Africa, Europe, and
the Americas presented their work on
topics ranging from robot manipulators
and cooperative robotics, to robot vision.
As expected, the event was a
concentrated refresher on the leading
edge of robotics research. An unexpected
take-away from my conversations with the
researchers at the conference was the
differences between academic and
commercial robotics, and the merit of
each perspective.
The most obvious differences are a
result of the reward systems applied to
each group. Academic roboticists are
rewarded for tackling intellectually
challenging problems that can result in
academic publications, with little or no
regard for short-term commercial
significance. As a result, academic
roboticists tend to focused on niche areas
that they can explore and perhaps claim
for their own — whether it’s a novel
algorithm, manipulator design, or robot
configuration. Intellectual property,
which provides leverage for academic
promotion and securing government- and
industry-sponsored grants, is guarded
until publication. I liken the academic
model to an inverted funnel, in which
researchers drill down on an intellectually
stimulating and novel domain, and only
later broaden their approach to consider
the broader applications of their work,
including commercialization.
Commercial roboticists, in contrast,
are entrepreneurs. They are rewarded by
the marketplace for recognizing and
understanding a problem and then
identifying a commercially viable technical
solution. Their approach can be modeled
as a funnel in that broad issues are
considered first, and then choices are
narrowed by issues such as intellectual
property protection, cost of manufacture,
competition, availability of distribution
channels, support requirements, liability,
and likelihood of follow-on products that
will insure growth of a company.
Commercial roboticists tend to
focus on problem areas that are dull,
dangerous, and dirty and know that
superior technology is necessary but
insufficient for commercial success.
Intellectual property is either kept as
trade secrets or protected with patents,
trademarks, and copyrights.
Despite these and other
differences, academic and commercial
robotics are intertwined in a symbiotic
relationship. The best marketing
strategy and business model will
eventually fail if the underlying
technology doesn’t adequately solve the
buyer’s problems. Conversely, academic
researchers increasingly rely on funding
from private firms and corporations to
supplement their typically limited
academic funding.
Academic departments are also
aware of the pressure to develop robotic
applications that eventually see the light
of day, as opposed to a short-lived
appearance on the Web or as a
reference in an academic journal.
Academic programs in robotics are
judged in part on the placement success
of their graduates in industry, which
adds pressure on programs to produce
graduates with knowledge and skills
applicable to commercial products.
The take-away for you is that, as an
independent robotics innovator, you can
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/
VP OF SALES/MARKETING
Robin Lemieux
display@servomagazine.com
EDITOR
Bryan Bergeron
techedit-servo@yahoo.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jeff Eckert Tom Carroll
Gordon McComb David Geer
Pete Miles R. Steven Rainwater
Michael Simpson Kevin Berry
Fred Eady Dennis Hong
Karl Muecke Robert Mayo
Jesse Hurdus Brad Pullins
Steve Judd Peter Smith
Alan Federman Ron Hackett
Dan Danknick Chris Olin
Ray Billings Jay Johnson
Bryce Woolley Evan Woolley
Heather Dewey-Hagborg
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Tracy Kerley
subscribe@servomagazine.com
MARKETING COORDINATOR
Brian Kirkpatrick
WEB CONTENT/STORE
Michael Kaudze
sales@servomagazine.com
PRODUCTION/GRAPHICS
Shannon Lemieux
Michele Durant
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Debbie Stauffacher
Mind/Iron Continued
6 SERVO 09.2007
Copyright 2007 by
T & L Publications, Inc.
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