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  • October 2019 (Revised March 2021)
  • Background Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Modern Automation (B): Robotics

By: William R. Kerr and James Palano
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:17
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Abstract

Driven largely by advances in perception and situational awareness, robots in the 2010s were gaining functionality that allowed them to be applied to fundamentally new types of work. The expanding range of new tasks that could be completed by machines had significant implications for businesses, the workforce, and society. This primer grounds conversations about these implications by describing the advances in underpinning technology that moved the boundaries of where robots could be deployed and illustrating real-world examples of the new types of activities that robots were becoming able to perform.

Keywords

Robotics; Artificial Intelligence; Future Of Work; Technology Commercialization; Information Technology; Commercialization; Employment; AI and Machine Learning

Citation

Kerr, William R., and James Palano. "Modern Automation (B): Robotics." Harvard Business School Background Note 820-069, October 2019. (Revised March 2021.)
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About The Author

William R. Kerr

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • October 2019 (Revised March 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    Modern Automation (B): Robotics

    By: William R. Kerr and James Palano
Related Work
  • Modern Automation (B): Robotics By: William R. Kerr and James Palano
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