I. Latest Developments in Robotics Abroad From the birth of robots to the early 1980s, robot technology underwent a long and slow development process. In the 1990s, with the rapid development of computer technology, microelectronics technology, network technology, etc., robot technology also developed rapidly. In addition to the continuous improvement of industrial robots, various advanced robot systems used in non-manufacturing industries have also made great progress. The latest developments in robots will be described below according to the two technological development paths of industrial robots and advanced robots. 1. Industrial Robots (1) Robot Manipulators: Through the application of modern design methods such as finite element analysis, modal analysis and simulation design, robot manipulators have achieved optimized design. Robot companies represented by Germany's KUKA have changed the parallel parallelogram structure of robots to an open chain structure, expanding the working range of robots. In addition, the application of lightweight aluminum alloy materials has greatly improved the performance of robots. Furthermore, the use of advanced RV reducers and AC servo motors has made robot manipulators almost maintenance-free systems. (2) Parallel robots: Using parallel mechanisms and robot technology, high-precision measurement and processing are achieved. This is an extension of robot technology to CNC technology, laying the foundation for the integration of robot and CNC technology in the future. Companies such as COMAU in Italy and FANUC in Japan have developed such products. (3) Control systems: The performance of control systems has been further improved. They have evolved from controlling standard 6-axis robots to controlling 21 or even 27 axes, and have achieved software servo and fully digital control. The human-machine interface is more user-friendly, and graphical interfaces have also been developed. The programming method is still mainly based on teach programming, but offline programming has been put into practical use in some fields. (4) Sensing systems: Laser sensors, vision sensors, and force sensors have been successfully applied in robot systems, realizing automatic weld seam tracking, automatic positioning of objects on automated production lines, and precision assembly operations, which greatly improves the robot's performance and adaptability to the environment. Companies such as KAWASAKI, YASKAWA, FANUC in Japan, ABB in Sweden, and KUKA and REIS in Germany have all launched such products. (5) Network communication function: The latest robot controllers from Japan's YASKAWA and Germany's KUKA have achieved connectivity with CANbus, Profibus buses, and some networks, enabling robots to take a big step from independent applications to networked applications, and also enabling robots to develop from dedicated equipment to standardized equipment. (6) Reliability: Due to the rapid development of microelectronics technology and the application of large-scale integrated circuits, the reliability of robot systems has been greatly improved. In the past, the MTBF of robot systems was generally several thousand hours, but now it has reached 50,000 hours, which can meet the needs of any occasion. 2. Advanced Robots In recent years, the scope of human activities has continued to expand, and the application of robots has also developed from the manufacturing field to non-manufacturing fields. Industries such as marine development, space exploration, mining, construction, medical care, agriculture and forestry, services, and entertainment have all put forward requirements for automation and robotization. Compared with manufacturing, the main characteristics of these industries are the unstructured and uncertain working environment, thus requiring robots to have walking functions, external perception capabilities, and local autonomous planning capabilities, which is an important development direction of robot technology. (1) Underwater robots: The US's AUSS, Russia's MT-88, and France's EPAVLARD underwater robots have been used in marine oil extraction, seabed exploration, salvage operations, pipeline laying and inspection, cable laying and maintenance, and dam inspection, forming two major categories: tethered underwater robots (remote operated vehicles) and untethered underwater robots (autonomous underwater vehicles). (2) Space robots: Space robots have always been an important research area of ​​advanced robots. At present, the United States, Russia, Canada and other countries have developed various space robots. For example, NASA's space robot Sojanor. Sojanor is an autonomous mobile vehicle with a weight of 11.5 kg, a size of 630-48 mm, and 6 wheels. Its successful application on Mars has attracted widespread attention around the world. (3) Robots for the nuclear industry: Foreign research mainly focuses on high-performance servo manipulators with dexterity, accurate and reliable movements, fast response, light weight, good rigidity, and easy loading, unloading and maintenance, as well as semi-autonomous and autonomous mobile robots. Typical completed systems include the US ORML robot-based radioactive storage tank cleaning system, reactor dual-arm manipulator, radiation monitoring and fault diagnosis system developed by Canada, and Germany's C7 dexterous hand, etc. (4) Underground robots: Underground robots mainly include two categories: mining robots and underground pipeline maintenance robots. The main research contents are: mechanical structure, walking system, sensor and positioning system, control system, communication and remote control technology. At present, developed countries such as Japan, the United States, and Germany have developed robots for the maintenance of underground pipelines and large pipelines such as oil and natural gas. Various mining robots and automation systems are under development. (5) Medical robots: The main research contents of medical robots include: planning and simulation of medical surgery, robot-assisted surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and telepresence surgery. The United States has carried out research on telepresence surgery for battlefield simulation, surgical training, and anatomy teaching. France, the UK, Italy, Germany and other countries have jointly carried out research on projects such as image-guided orthopedic surgery (telematics), biomed robots and electromechanical surgical tools for surgery, and have achieved some fruitful results. (6) Construction robots: Japan has developed more than 20 kinds of construction robots, such as high-rise building plastering robots, prefabricated component installation robots, interior decoration robots, floor polishing robots, and window cleaning robots, and have been put into practical use. Carnegie Mellon University, MIT and other institutions in the United States are developing models such as pipe excavation and laying robots and interior wall installation robots, and have carried out basic research on sensors, mobile technology and system automation construction methods. The UK, Germany and France are also carrying out research in this area. (7) Military robots: In recent years, the United States, the UK, France and Germany have developed the second generation of military intelligent robots. Its characteristics include autonomous control, enabling it to perform reconnaissance, combat, and logistical support tasks. On the battlefield, it possesses the abilities to see, smell, and sense objects, automatically tracking terrain and selecting routes, and automatically searching for, identifying, and destroying enemy targets. Examples include the US Navplab autonomous navigation vehicle and SSV semi-autonomous ground combat vehicle, the French Autonomous Rapid Reconnaissance Vehicle (DARDS), and the German MV4 explosive ordnance disposal robot. Currently, the US ORNL is developing and researching various military robots for applications such as the Abrams tank and Patriot missile battery-loading robots. It is foreseeable that in the 21st century, various advanced robot systems will enter all areas of human life, becoming excellent assistants and close partners. II. Current Research Hotspots and Development Trends Currently, the international robotics community is increasing its research efforts, conducting research on common robot technologies, and developing towards intelligence and diversification. The main research content focuses on the following 10 aspects: 1. Optimization design technology of industrial robot manipulator structures: exploring new high-strength lightweight materials to further improve the load/weight ratio, while developing mechanisms towards modularity and reconfigurability. 2. Robot Control Technology: The focus is on open, modular control systems with more user-friendly human-machine interfaces; language and graphical programming interfaces are under development. Standardization and networking of robot controllers, as well as PC-based network controllers, have become research hotspots. In addition to further improving the operability of online programming, the practical application of offline programming will be a research focus. 3. Multi-Sensor Systems: To further improve the intelligence and adaptability of robots, the use of multiple sensors is key to solving related problems. Research hotspots lie in effective and feasible multi-sensor fusion algorithms, especially in nonlinear, non-stationary, and non-normally distributed scenarios. Another issue is the practical application of sensor systems. 4. Robots are becoming increasingly agile in structure, and control systems are becoming smaller, with both moving towards integration. 5. Robot remote control and monitoring technology, semi-autonomous and autonomous robot technologies, coordinated control between multiple robots and operators, establishing large-scale robot remote control systems via networks, and establishing pre-display remote control in cases of time delay. 6. Virtual Robot Technology: Based on multi-sensor, multimedia, virtual reality, and presence technology, to achieve virtual remote operation and human-machine interaction of robots. 7. Multi-agent control technology: This is a new field of robotics research. It mainly focuses on the group architecture of multi-agent systems, their communication and negotiation mechanisms, perception and learning methods, modeling and planning, and group behavior control. 8. Micro/miniature robotics: This is a new field and key development direction in robotics research. Past research in this area was almost nonexistent; therefore, progress in this field will revolutionize robotics and have an immeasurable impact on all aspects of social progress and human activity. Research on micro/miniature robotics mainly focuses on system structure, motion methods, control methods, sensing technology, communication technology, and walking technology. 9. Soft robotics: Primarily used in medical, nursing, leisure, and entertainment applications. Traditional robot designs do not consider close interaction with humans; therefore, their structural materials are mostly metals or rigid materials. Soft robotics requires that its structure, control methods, and sensing systems be safe when the robot accidentally collides with the environment or humans, and that the robot be human-friendly. 10. Humanoid and biomimetic technologies: This represents the highest level of development in robotics technology, and currently only some basic research is being conducted in certain areas.