ROBOTICS, AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE?

Robotics is currently an ad hoc collection of topics spread through a number of disciplines. The knowledge explosion that has occurred in robotics, during the first half of the 1980s, raises the question: 'Should robotics become a separate discipline? ' To become a discipline in its own right, the various topics in robotics have to be combined into a unified body of knowledge, clear definitions of the terms robot and robotics have to be agreed upon, and a set of axioms formulated. If this can be done then a paradigm for robotics research can be established, as well as a set of goals. Each of these issues is addressed, and definitions are formulated. The content of the discipline is described within the framework of a proposed university curriculum. This curriculum demonstrates that there is a cohesive body of knowledge which constitutes the field of robotics. From the quantity and quality of the content of the curriculum we can see that the discipline is potentially large, and is based upon solid theoretical grounds. There is the potential for robotics to emerge as a separate academic discipline within the next decade.