  Robotics has the potential to magnify the skilled workforce of the nation by
complementing our workforce with automation: teams of people and robots will be
able to do more than either could alone. The economic engine of the U.S. runs
on the productivity of our people. The rise of automation offers new
opportunities to enhance the work of our citizens and drive the innovation and
prosperity of our industries. Most critically, we need research to understand
how future robot technologies can best complement our workforce to get the best
of both human and automated labor in a collaborative team. Investments made in
robotics research and workforce development will lead to increased GDP, an
increased export-import ratio, a growing middle class of skilled workers, and a
U.S.-based supply chain that can withstand global pandemics and other
disruptions. In order to make the United States a leader in robotics, we need
to invest in basic research, technology development, K-16 education, and
lifelong learning.
