Other roles and specialisations

This activity has only reviewed some of the major roles in robotics. It mainly looked at software related roles, hardware related roles and research related roles. Each of these major roles can have several specialisations. For example, a Robotics Software Engineer may specialise in machine learning (ML) and develop ML-based systems or specialise in motion planning and control algorithms.

There are, of course, other, more hands-on and technical roles available:

• PLC engineers/technicians: PLC (short for Programmable Logic Controller) technicians/engineers design, program, and maintain PLCs systems used within manufacturing and service industries.
• Support engineer: they have strong communication and technical skills. They solve customer problems, develop technical documentation, and provide training to users.

Finally, the specific roles discussed so far, whether a software engineer, hardware engineer or a robotics researcher, may specialise in specific robotic areas like robotic manipulation, mobile robots, autonomous vehicles, underwater robots and more. Robotics is a very broad topic, and you can’t focus on everything, you will more likely focus on one specific application area or two throughout your career. Deciding the specific area(s) you want to focus on will be an important decision. These different robotic application areas will be discussed in the next activity.