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A definition for robotics as an academic discipline

To develop scientific methods for evaluation in robotics, the field requires a more stringent definition of the subject of study, says Signe Redfield, focusing on capabilities instead of physical systems.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank A. Bouchard, V. Edwards and R. Tatum, who consistently pointed at the right path; the attendees and co-organizers of the 2018 NIST Verification of Autonomous Systems Working Group meeting and the 2018 NATO SCI-313 Specialists’ Meeting, which triggered the development of this work; D. Scheidt, C. Schlenoff, D. Sofge, M. Seto and J. Sustersic, who helped me clarify my thoughts; and Joe Hays and Jamie Lennon, who provided consistent support.

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Correspondence to Signe Redfield.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Redfield, S. A definition for robotics as an academic discipline. Nat Mach Intell 1, 263–264 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-019-0064-x

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