Building a research ecosystem to tackle the 7 basic research challenges of the PEPR O2R

As part of the France 2030 national strategy, the exploratory research program aims to strengthen French research and consolidate its leadership. It is in this context that the Robotics for society exploratory research program has been funded to support exploration of these emerging research topics.

Robotics has been a source of innovation for production, logistics, intervention, exploration, and healthcare systems. However, despite immense technological progress, questions and problems remain regarding the integration of robots into our lives and society. Their design and development, based on engineering techniques that emerged during the industrial revolution, no longer always meet the needs raised by ever-changing uses. They remain essentially disconnected from new societal challenges related to humans and the environment.

The Robotics for society research program aims to develop robotics that is socially adapted in terms of its principles, behavior, performance, and uses, and open to the complexity of societal challenges. This exploratory research program will be based on a multidisciplinary approach integrating the social sciences and humanities, digital sciences, and engineering sciences.