Automated guided vehicles, used in shipping ports and warehouses to move containers or goods around, are currently guided by infrastructure-based navigation systems such as magnetic tracks laid on the ground. Such systems are costly and inflexible to install and maintain. Scientists are looking at how they can develop a novel and robust navigation system for outdoor and indoor autonomous ground vehicles as an alternative.

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are designed to operate safely side by side with human workers. Cobots can be programmed to perform repetitive tasks such as product assembly and pick and place (the process of picking up objects and placing them onto a surface in a set position and orientation).

To increase the productivity of cobots and combine the dexterity of humans with the precision and speed of robots, scientists will look at how to develop algorithms and techniques that allow multiple robots and humans to work together in factories to manipulate and assemble parts efficiently and safely.

Robotic companions can help to attend to the social, emotional, and physical needs of an ageing population, allowing the elderly to age independently and easing the load on caregivers. However, the assistive robots that are made for this purpose continue to lack robustness and adaptability in human-centric environments and are unable to have functional physical human-robot interactions.