NRT-FW-HTF: Robotic Interfaces and Assistants for the Future of Work

在接下来的几十年里，机器人界面和助手将不可避免地在工作场所发挥越来越重要的作用。工作的未来取决于机器人和人类之间的分工有多好，这样机器人就可以完成繁琐、艰苦和/或危险的任务，而人类将专注于更高层次、更有意义的增值活动，这些活动更容易、更安全、更省力。预见到未来的环境，今天需要研究和培训，以使那些发展中的未来以机器人为媒介的人类工作场所具备一种综合和整体的技术发展方法，考虑到其社会影响和经济后果。这项授予伍斯特理工学院的国家科学基金会研究培训(NRT)奖将专注于与未来工作场所采用机器人接口和助手相关的新颖研究。在一个名为工作场所机器人的未来-研发(FOW-RD)的跨学科研究项目中，研究生实习生将获得各种所需技能，以驾驭机遇和挑战，塑造、指导和领导向机器人辅助工作场所的过渡。该项目预计将培训120(120)名MS和博士生，其中包括30(30)名资助的学员，他们来自商学院的机械工程、机器人工程、计算机科学、材料科学和用户体验设计。FORW-RD的培训活动将集中培养跨学科技术和专业技能的广度，以及一个专业领域的深度。一系列第一年的思维前沿研讨会将讨论与在工作场所使用机器人有关的伦理、社会、经济、法律和技术问题。受训人员组成的小团队将在研究生学习的早期制定研究计划，并由多学科的教师导师指导。技术课程包括四门现有的课程和四门为Forw-RD项目量身定做的新课程。专业发展将涉及实践技能和概念/人际关系技能，重点是关键的专业技能--领导和管理、沟通和远见。专业实践将通过协助教师导师在WPI的基于项目的课程中为本科生团队跨学科资格项目(IQP)提供建议来建立。所有NRT实习生都需要在合作公司和组织进行实习，以实现职业和职业发展。FORW-RD培训活动将与跨学科研究计划相结合，以在安全可穿戴机器人界面、辅助机器人平台、灵活的多功能材料加工、技术方面的用户体验、决策、污名/偏见、高技能任务培训中的技术以及社会和技术交汇处的伦理等领域发展深厚的专业知识。将伦理、社会和商业影响纳入工作的努力将培养更全面的科学家和工程师，并将有助于增加女性和代表不足的少数群体在机器人和相关STEM领域的参与。NSF研究培训(NRT)计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革意义的STEM研究生教育培训模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求保持一致的综合实习生模式，在高度优先的跨学科或趋同研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

It is inevitable that robotic interfaces and assistants will play an increasingly important role in the workplace in the coming decades. The future of work depends on how well a division of labor can be established between robots and humans, so that robots will perform tasks that are tedious, strenuous, and/or dangerous, and humans will focus on higher-level, more meaningful value-added activities that are easier, safer, and less strenuous. Anticipating this future environment, research and training are needed today to equip those developing future robot-intermediated human workplaces with an integrative and holistic approach to technological development, considering its social impact and economic consequences. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to Worcester Polytechnic Institute will focus on novel research related to the adoption of robotic interfaces and assistants in the future workplace. In an interdisciplinary research program named Future of Robots in the Workplace - Research & Development (FORW-RD), graduate student trainees will attain diverse skills needed to navigate opportunities and challenges to shape, guide, and lead the transition to a robot-assisted workplace. The project anticipates training one hundred twenty (120) MS and PhD students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, from Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Computer Science, Materials Science, and User Experience Design in the Business School.FORW-RD's training activities will cohesively cultivate a breadth of interdisciplinary technical and professional skills, in addition to depth in one area of specialization. A set of first-year FORW-RD Thinking seminars will address ethical, social, economic, legal, and technical issues related to the use of robots in the workplace. Small teams of trainees will develop research plans early in their graduate studies, guided by multidisciplinary faculty mentors. Technical coursework includes four existing and four new courses tailored for the FORW-RD program. Professional development will address both practical skills and conceptual/interpersonal skills, by focusing on key professional skillsets--leadership and management, communication, and visioning. Professional practice will be established by assisting faculty mentors as they advise undergraduate team Interdisciplinary Qualifying Projects (IQPs) within WPI's project-based curriculum. Internships with partnering companies and organizations will be required of all NRT trainees for professional and career development. FORW-RD traineeship activities will be integrated with a cross-disciplinary research plan for developing deep expertise in areas such as safe wearable robotic interfaces, assistive robot platforms, flexible multifunctional material processing, user experience in technology, decision-making, stigma/bias, technology in training for high-skill tasks, and ethics at the intersection of society and technology. Efforts to include ethical, social, and business implications into the work will develop more well-rounded scientists and engineers and will help increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in robotics and related STEM fields. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.