The strategy was developed for the Government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills by the Technology Strategy Board's robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) Special Interest Group (SIG), in consultation with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the UK robotics industry.
It highlights the fact that the UK is in a prime position to become a world leader in an industry estimated to be worth between $1.9 - $6.4 trillion per year by 2025 in terms of its global economic impact (source: McKinsey).
A key recommendation of the strategy is to develop existing UK assets, such as decommissioned nuclear sites, farms, factories, mines and whole towns, for use as valuable robotics test beds. For example, identifying farm sites to test the deployment of autonomous crop management systems, and equipping mobility-friendly towns to safely test driverless cars on real roads. Combined with a flexible regulatory framework, this would present a unique opportunity to attract robotics developers and investors from around the world.
Current estimates indicate that the market for RAS products and technology, in non-military sectors, will be in the order of £70bn by 2025.
Professor Philip Nelson FREng, EPSRC's Chief Executive, says the Engineering and Physical Sciences provide the underpinning research and discoveries that support the realisation of the UK's vast potential in robotics and autonomous systems and their application.
"EPSRC funds research and training stretching across the academic fields and sectors in which robotics are playing an increasingly vital role, from healthcare to manufacturing, nuclear safety to transport," he says. "We are working with our partners to ensure the aims of this strategy are met and research connects to innovation."
In order to capitalise on the robotics opportunity, the strategy - which has been developed to inform future Government resourcing and organisation, and to guide future policy - identifies five core strands of activity that it recommends as the focus for UK investment and action going forward.
Five core strands of action:
RAS Grand Challenges - Grand Challenges, whereby teams compete to build RAS demonstrators, should be focused on real scenarios in vertical markets that stimulate collaboration, identify what is possible, and excite the public. Using RAS Assets as staging grounds, the competitions will also help to establish regulation.
RAS Clusters - Investing in areas of emerging robotics growth, such as Edinburgh and Bristol, in order to foster 'clusters' that will help stimulate innovation across industry, academia and finance and provide support networks throughout the RAS supply chain.
RAS Skills - Because robotics generates so much interest it has the potential to attract the brightest and best to STEM subjects that are critical to a knowledge economy. All actions should be designed with skills development in mind; engaging with schools, apprentices, graduates and the general public.
RAS Assets - Make UK the RAS destination of choice for international research, innovation and market exploration by developing tangible assets for the RAS community. For example, turning UK wasteland and decommissioned assets into valuable robotics technology test beds. Alongside this, providing intangible assets such as a flexible legal and regulatory environment, pervasive software skills, and a willingness to try new ideas.
RAS Coordination - Aligning investment in research, business and regulation so that UK efforts form a cohesive, coherent innovation pipeline, shaping a common and competitive approach in different industry sectors.
A pressing need to improve the process of technology transfer from UK scientific research into viable businesses is also highlighted, as well as the importance of entrepreneurial support schemes, such as the Royal Academy of Engineering's Enterprise Hub.
The strategy also recommends proactive public engagement to raise awareness and debate on the role of robotics in overcoming major global challenges and international outreach to promote the UK globally as an attractive place to invest in bringing RAS technologies to market.
In order to implement the recommended actions, the strategy recommends the establishment of a RAS Leadership Council to engage with senior leaders across a range of sectors in industry, academia and Government, and to provide independent advisory direction.
Professor David Lane FREng, Chair of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems special Interest Group, says the UK is a substantial contributor to some of the world's best research in the field of robotics and autonomous systems, but countries such as Japan, Korea and the USA have had greater success in developing companies to exploit those opportunities. "We need to provide a business environment in the UK that is geared towards helping robotic and autonomous technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace," he says.
"The UK has an exceptional heritage in many of the industries where robotics can be most useful, and our world-leading research base makes us ideally placed to exploit the opportunities arising in these fields, but we need to act quickly if we don't want to be left behind. With the right course of action, we believe the UK could achieve 10 percent of the global market share by 2025."
Ian Shott CBE FREng, Chair of the Enterprise Committee at the Royal Academy of Engineering, says a key priority should be providing support, connectivity and guidance to entrepreneurs, whilst stimulating interest in robotics among the investment community.
"International technology giants such as Google, Amazon and Apple spent millions on robotics in 2013 and investors would be foolish not to take note of this trend," he says. "The UK must do everything it can to accelerate the development of our small and growing robotics businesses, helping to make them as attractive as possible to investors."
Kevin Baughan, Director of Innovation Programmes at the Technology Strategy Board, says robotics and autonomous systems have a myriad of potential applications, with the potential to open up new markets, often in areas where operations have not been commercially viable before.
"Through both our Robotics and Autonomous Systems Special Interest Group and our targeted funding calls for innovative, disruptive technology in this area, we're working to sponsor collaboration between innovators, academia and industry," he says. "The UK Robotics Strategy will provide a coherent framework for building on the UK's existing capabilities in this area, allowing UK companies to make the most of the opportunities in this sector."
Rich Walker is managing director of Shadow Robot Company. "At Shadow, we've been developing key robotics technologies like the Dexterous Hand for over a decade," he says. "Getting joined-up thinking between government, research and industry to position the UK as the best place in the world for robotics and autonomous systems is a fantastic opportunity for technology SMEs like us. The unified Strategy will help make the UK a powerhouse in robotics globally, and will help us take our technologies into places we could never previously hope to reach."
The full strategy is available at the Robotics and Autonomous Systems website.
Engineering for Growth is a partnership campaign to promote the economic impact and societal benefits delivered by engineering and to raise debate on how engineering can make an even bigger contribution. Engineering for Growth is led by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with Atkins; BAE Systems; EADS; Lucite International; Rolls-Royce; McLaren Group; National Grid; Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Technology Strategy Board; Institution of Chemical Engineers; Institution of Engineering and Technology; and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.