Analysis: Robots now and... when? - Robots generate a great sense of anticipation, but they are slow to develop. What will they bring once they get going? And how much longer will we have to wait?

Simple robots already exist and make an enormous contribution in all sorts of areas. Robots generate a great sense of anticipation, but they are slow to develop. However, before the fabulous potential of robots can be exploited, there are four major sticking points: 1) Robots need to be inherently safe, which probably means they need to be ´soft to the touch´, as well. 2) Robots must be dextrous, so we probably need to equip them with hands like ours. 3) Their mobility in an unstructured environment is very important. 4) They will have to be reasonably autonomous. At the Shadow Robot Company, we are making good progress with the first two, think we know what to do about the third, and regard the fourth as the ´great march´ - i.e., still mainly ahead of us