Albert Yefimov, director of the Skolkovo Foundation’s Robocentre, is to head a government working group that will produce a plan for the development of Russian robotics.
Skolkovo Robocentre head Albert Yefimov. Photo: Sk.ru.
The working group was established last week at the second meeting of the Ministry of Science and Education’s coordination council for the development of robotics. The main aim of the council is to coordinate the efforts of all the different agencies working on the development of robotics in Russia.
“In Russia, as in the rest of the world, there is big demand for robotic technology, for driverless transport,” Yefimov told Sk.ru, explaining the goals of the coordination council and new working group.
“In order to develop this sphere, all its participants need to be coordinated. Right now, a lot of actions - even helpful ones - are being carried out in a piecemeal way. The coordination council has been created to combine all the initiatives,” he said.
The coordination council, which met for the first time in December last year, comprises representatives of organisations working in robotics, including the Advanced Research Foundation and the Central Research Institute of Robotics and Technical Cybernetics in St. Petersburg, which Skolkovo cooperates with on its projects.
It was Yefimov who suggested the creation of a working group, he said.
“It seemed to me that the coordination council was lacking a working group that would carry out all the preliminary work – that if we were only going to listen to each other’s reports at meetings, then we would never be able to coordinate properly,” he said, adding that there are about 30 members of the coordination council.
“There is hardly any time left after the reports for discussing any practical things, so it’s obvious that a working group is needed to devise a coordination and development plan,” he said.
Primarily, this will concern schools, universities and research institutes, Yefimov said. “It will also involve the coordination of applied science and fundamental science and their use both for civil and military purposes.”
Yefimov believes the focus should be on the former purpose. “At the moment, a country’s defense capabilities aren’t defined by what troops they have – though that’s also a factor – but by its economy. And since robot technology increases labour productivity and is very important for the economy, our main strategic weapon is the creation of a strong robotics industry.”
The coordination council, which meets quarterly, will make recommendations to the ministry. Yefimov has already identified four focus areas for the working group: educational and competitive experimental robotics; research and development in the field of robotics; tech entrepreneurship at universities – specifically in the field of robotics – and how to stimulate it; and the legal and ethical aspects of the use of robot technology.
“Russia hasn’t yet taken part in the international standardization of robotics, and that’s an omission we need to fix,” says Yefimov.
Russia and the Soviet Union have a rich history of robot technology, which can be an asset, but should not be the subject of undue focus, Yefimov believes.
“Robotics in our country has a long history, a formidable legacy has been built up that has a strong influence on decision-making among all those involved,” he said.
“And I really hope that we will move forward without looking in the rear-view mirror.”