Australian robotics is at a crossroads, “where choices must be made about the scale and direction of public and private investment,” QUT’s Sue Keay and colleagues warn in an industry roadmap from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Robotic Vision.

While Australia has a good research and development base, commercialisation is a “key weakness in transitioning robotics from the R&D stage to market-ready product in Australia,” they argue.

The roadmap also sets a direction for R&D, recommending “clusters of robotics activity.” And it calls for micro-credentials in higher and further education, which “would allow Australia to leap frog ahead of other countries, they write. “