Issue A deployment discipline benchmarked on real-world rather than simulated performance

Summary

Despite progress in robotics, putting robots to work in the real world remains difficult. Persistent hurdles include stability, flexible movement, energy efficiency and safe interaction with people and surroundings, and robots must adapt from controlled laboratories to changing environments they handle on their own. Dubai Future Foundation proposes a new cross-disciplinary field focused on deployment, integrating design, control, learning and interaction with standard benchmarks based on real-world performance rather than simulation metrics alone. International Federation of Robotics data show 542,000 industrial robots installed in 2024, more than double the level of ten years earlier, with annual installations expected to exceed 700,000 in 2028. Service robots grew by 9% to nearly 200,000 units in 2024, while medical robots rose by 91%.