NRT-FW-HTF: Convergent Next-Generation Robotics Training: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Adaptive Design amid a Changing World of Work

The world of work is undergoing momentous change. By some estimates, nearly half of all occupations are at risk of being automated within the next two decades. At the same time, labor shortages within the U.S. have compromised post-pandemic recovery efforts and are particularly pronounced in occupational environments with high health and safety risks.

Next-generation robots can address these challenges in industrial settings where the direct involvement of humans is either extremely hazardous, undesirable, or simply not feasible due to inherent barriers that limit accessibility. Educational programs are needed to provide scientists with both the technical knowledge for developing design solutions and the ethical understanding of issues related to deploying robotic technology responsibly to complement the skills of future workers.

To address this need, this National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the Washington State University (WSU) will establish a multi-disciplinary approach to training future robotics scientists, practitioners, and entrepreneurs in the design, implementation, and implications of robotics applications within agricultural, nuclear, and underwater settings. The project will train 52 graduate students, including 21 NRT-funded trainees in Biological Systems Engineering, Psychology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science & Engineering.

Through convergent problem-based learning in leadership, entrepreneurship, and applied psychology coupled with a cutting-edge technical foundation in robotics and autonomous systems, this NRT program will produce leaders in interdisciplinary research and scholarship who are trained to evaluate the psychosocial implications of next-generation robotic technology for future workers. These objectives will be accomplished via: (i) multi-disciplinary research in the areas of: soft-, micro-, and bio-robots; autonomous systems; flexible electronics; biomimetic devices; and human-robot collaboration; (ii) professional skills training in the areas of entrepreneurship, leadership, supervised teaching, and the psychosocial impacts of next-generation robotic technology on affected employee populations; (iii) technical skills training via coursework, cross-disciplinary seminars, conference attendance, and biweekly research team meetings; and (iv) sustained community engagement by means of site visits, trainee internships, undergraduate mentoring, and an annual research workshop and exposition.

NRT trainees will apply their skills beyond the classroom by participating in an immersive field study examining the user experience or market feasibility of next-generation robots in the areas of fruit orchard automation, nuclear waste cleanup, and underwater rescue/repair operations.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.