Robotic systems are starting to revolutionize many applications, from transportation to health care, assisted by technological advancements, such as cloud computing, novel hardware design, and novel manufacturing techniques.
However, several of the characteristics that make robots ideal for certain future applications—such as autonomy, self-learning, and knowledge sharing—can also raise concerns in the evolution of the technology from academic institutions to the public sphere. Blockchain, an emerging technology that originated in the digital currency field, is starting to show great potential to make robotic operations more secure, autonomous, flexible, and even profitable—thereby bridging the gap between purely scientific domains and real-world applications.
This symposium seeks to move beyond the classical view of robotic systems to advance our understanding about the possibilities and limitations of combining state-of-the art robotic systems with blockchain technology.