DEFINITION:

Includes general purpose and specific Automation & Robotics (A&R) components and methods.

(Source ESA TD 13C)

SUBDOMAINS:

1. Perception: Includes sensors and sensing methods (e.g. computer vision) which allow robots to perceive their environment and the state of the process they are controlling.
2. Control, Autonomy and Intelligence: Covers methods that allow robot systems to perform perception processing, understanding of the operating environment, motion planning and control, attention allocation, anticipation, activity planning, and reasoning about their own state and the state of other agents.
3. Motion and Actuation: Covers the means that allow a robot to physically interact with its environment (e.g. limbs, joints, chassis, wheel units, balloon envelopes, propulsion units). (Note: Detailed mechanisms aspects are covered in 1-B-11,  1-B-12 and 1-B-13).
4. Robot-User Interfacing: Includes commanding and programming means (e.g. immersive systems, haptic devices) and methods that allow users to interact with an automation and robotics system. Includes teleoperation, telepresence, tele-science.
5. Robot Ground Testing: Includes tools, methods and facilities that allow on-ground characterisation and verification of A&R systems.