I now have the full version of my "Dissecting the bot" article for EE Times on the Industrial Control DesignLine site.   One thing that I was asked to do for this article was make some predictions on what future robotics technology will look like. Some of the technological advancements that I believe will push forward the field of robotics are:

• Faster overall real-time system response (from sensor to actuator) for greater robot functionality.
• Advanced artificial intelligence to enable more autonomous decision-making.
• Small, lightweight sensors and actuators to enable smaller and more energy-efficient robots.
• The ability of a robot to monitor and generate its own power in order to prolong autonomous operation.

These are my thoughts, but what are yours?  What does the Industrial Control DesignLine audience think will power robotics in the future?  What will future robots look like?

You can put forward your thoughts by commenting on the "Dissecting the bot" article, or on this blog post here.