Robot Makers: The Future of Digital Rapid Design and Fabrication of Robots

Robots are complex systems, and their design requires detailed knowledge of diverse fields, including mechanics, electronics, software, and control theory. Thus, our ability to rapidly create robotic systems requires a synergy between these diverse disciplines. In the near future, new paradigms and tools will be needed for on-demand design generation; new fabrication methods will be needed to realize custom electromechanical devices; and new algorithms and programming languages will be necessary to define, evaluate, and optimize behavioral specifications and designs. In this article, we assess the main challenges, problems, vision, and future steps on the topic of codesign and rapid fabrication of robotic systems.