National research programme Organic Robotics (PEPR O2R)
Thinking of a more adaptable robotics, socially, economically as well as environmentally, is the challenge proposed by the Organic robotics programme. This programme aims to rethink the robotics sector in order to create a new generation of robots capable of fluid and natural interactions with users, social adaptation in their interactions, and providing responsive and reliable services suitable for citizens.
Organic robotics combines social sciences and humanities, robotics, and engineering sciences. This multidisciplinary approach aims to develop machines that serve humanity and society first.
- Exploration national research programme
- Programme leaders: CEA, CNRS, Inria
- Programme directors:
- Philippe Fraisse - CNRS (Laboratoire d'informatique de robotique et de microélectronique de Montpellier (LIRMM))
- Emmanuel Grimaud - CNRS (Laboratoire d'ethnologie et de sociologie comparative (LESC))
- Gregorio Ameyugo - CEA
- Christian Duriez - Inria
- Allocated budget: €34m over 8 years
The Organic robotics programme proposes to implement socially adapted robotics, in its principles, behavior, performance, and usage, and open to the complexity of societal challenges. This exploration research programme aims to refound, by integrating the contributions of different disciplines, methodologies, action and interaction behaviors, cognitive functions, learning capabilities, and breaking with current robotic technologies and their limitations.
The Organic robotics programme marks a turning point in robotics to create a new generation of robots capable of fluid and natural interactions with users, social adaptation in their interactions, and accompanying technological transitions of societies by providing services that are adapted, responsive, and reliable for citizens. To achieve these objectives, this research programme dedicated to the creation of organic robots combines robotics and social sciences communities. This interweaving of disciplines aims to develop a new generation of robots serving humanity and stimulating, in a prospective manner, a more global reflection on the relationship between robotics and society. Rethinking uses and the relationship between robotics and society through a reflexive approach is at the heart of the programme.
Three scientific challenges are addressed in this project through a multidisciplinary approach:
- Identify the determinants of social adaptation of robots and their links with their behavior and design.
- Create integrated material and software architectures for robots, allowing embodied intelligence and robustness in the face of complexity in their exercise and usage environments.
- Equip robots with capabilities for fluid interactions with humans.
The economic, environmental, and societal impacts of robotics are numerous. Efforts will focus in the short term on the healthcare sector and more broadly on personal assistance. Progressively and in collaboration with social sciences and humanities, use cases will open up to other application domains that remain to be defined. The programme will be organized around the challenges through support for targeted projects and research teams, open and multidisciplinary research projects, prioritizing collaboration between robotics and social sciences and humanities.
The Maison des Humanités Potentielles (i.e. experimental lab for potential humanities), a specific project of the program's governance, aims to be a catalyst between SSH, critical approaches to technological and robotics challenges, art and design to stimulate more adapted technological imaginaries and think about co-adaptation and co-evolution processes between bodies, technology, and environment.
En savoir plus
- Quand les robots s’adapteront à l’être humain, interview de Philippe Fraisse dans CNRS Info (17/01/23)
PEPR O2R | Un programme de recherche pour intégrer les robots à la société
Comment bien cohabiter avec les robots ? C'est la problématique posée par ce vaste programme de recherches financé dans le cadre du plan France 2030 et doté de 34 millions d'euros sur 8 ans. Parmi les pistes explorées par ce programme de recherche : le développement de machines pouvant s'adapter aux besoins de chacun ou encore enseigner des règles sociales aux robots afin de faciliter les interactions humain/machine. La robotique fait l'objet d'une course technologique et industrielle internationale. Ce PEPR doit permettre à la France et à l'Europe de rester compétitives sur ce secteur.