Aaron Prather is director, robotics and autonomous systems programs, for ASTM International. He has been taking a leading role in moving robotics forward, including supporting the work of the committee on robotics, automation, and autonomous systems (F45) and building connections across industries.

In the July/August issue of Standardization News, he spoke to us about the current state of robotics and its potential to transform industry. We also discussed Prather’s vision for robotics, what ASTM members are doing to support this emerging technology, and how they are prioritizing safety in the process.

Q. How did you originally get involved with the field of robotics?

A. I started working for FedEx while still at university. I worked on the weekends offloading trucks then worked my way up the chain to where, after graduating college, I was put in as a tech maintaining all the scanning technologies.

As automation became a bigger thing, I got into programming that automation, then I eventually became the senior advisor on robotics for all of FedEx. I was looking at robots and automation from an R&D level, asking what the next types of robots and automation going into FedEx’s network would be. We had a great facility in Memphis where we could test everything we wanted.

An opportunity came up where ASTM said they were going to expand their robotics and autonomous systems, and were really going to do test performance. I had already been working on standards with other organizations and it sounded perfect. Instead of working with one company in one industry, I would have an opportunity to help everybody who wants to get into robotics. With ASTM being a global standards organization, I realized this is the organization that will let me work on robots regardless of the industry. I want to keep expanding robotics into other industries, and ASTM is the organization that will allow me to do that.

Q. I see a lot of excitement about robotics, as well as concern about the impact on workers. How would you appraise the current state of robotics and its broader acceptance across the globe?

A. There are folks saying there will be a billion humanoid robots by 2040, and I can’t envision that happening. However, I do think robotics is going to accelerate. Robots are coming. They’re on their way. There was a recent article in the Wall Street Journal that said we’re not replacing ourselves anymore. Birth rates are dropping, baby boomers are retiring in mass, and the workforce is shrinking. The biggest user of robotics in the world is South Korea. They have almost 1,000 robots for every 10,000 workers. They also have the smallest birth rate. If you want to maintain your economy’s output, you need to automate certain things. It’s great to see ASTM members getting involved, and the question is how we can get more people thinking that way.

In robotics, we always talk about the three Ds: dull, dirty, and dangerous. If you have a task that is dull, dirty, or dangerous, automate it. We are seeing more and more that it frees up people to focus on other things. When I worked at FedEx, one of the biggest tasks for workers was to pick up a box and put it on the belt to be scanned on to its next destination. People would do it for four to six hours per day. We incorporated automation, and believe me, employees loved it. They could focus on other things, like address correction or addressing packages that were torn and needed to be taped back up. We’re seeing this in other industries, and it’s just going to keep growing.

Q. One of the interesting angles ASTM brings to the conversation is workforce development. People often think about robotics as the development of the machines themselves, but training people to use these devices is something ASTM has really emphasized.

A. This is how people should see robots. Let’s get rid of the Terminator idea. A robot is a tool. Like any tool, it’s only as good as the person using it. But even as robots come in to fill the gaps, that doesn’t mean we get rid of the people. There’s data after data. A recent report showed that as manufacturing jobs went up, robot sales went up. When manufacturing jobs went down, robot sales went down. Robots aren’t replacing anybody. They’re there to help folks.

Automation and workforce development are two sides of the same coin. If you don’t have the workforce, your robots aren’t going to be worth anything, because they’re tools. There is a need for robot technicians and programmers. But you do not need to be an engineer or programmer to have a successful career in robotics. Actually, the fastest growing area in robotics is recruiting English majors and psychology majors because someone has to document all this stuff. The core thing we are getting at is how humans and robots are going to act. There are so many growing opportunities.

Q. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the other specter lurking in discussions of robots. How do you see AI shaping up, and what can we in the standards community contribute?

A. Robotics went through this stage in the ’80s and ’90s, where people were afraid they would take jobs away. AI is also going to be used to help us get our job done as there are fewer and fewer of us working. It is just a fact. Our populations are shrinking, we’re having fewer babies, and people are living longer. So that’s where we’re at.

I will say that I am concerned about certain aspects of AI. I want to know about the safety guardrails that are being put on. Don’t freak out yet, but the clock is ticking. It’s probably ticking much faster than it did on robotics, because this is software. The good thing is that I’m hearing a lot of serious talk by folks in the know, people who are finding ways to check this. There are ways we can make sure we are training AIs ethically. I would like to see us putting up the safety barriers that we need. Standards organizations can do that. There’s some great work NIST is doing, that UL is doing, but I think that can bubble up even more.

Q. What have been some of your goals for the robotics industry since joining ASTM?

A. Our main focus is building up F45. They have been going gangbusters. I really attribute that to the leadership of the chair, Adam Norton, associate director, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, NERVE Center. Since joining, we have launched a new grasping and manipulation subcommittee, which is doing great. They are probably on track to publish about 10 standards over the next couple of months. We’ve launched our legged-robot group, and they’re going gangbusters as well. We are finalizing getting an applications group launched, and that group’s going to focus on very specific applications. Case in point, solar is going to be the first one. With robots going into a solar farm, what are the special things beyond the current standards out there that will be unique to solar farms?

Additionally, I’m working on developing out our advisory services and working with other organizations like the ARM [Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing] Institute or America Makes, as well as private companies. We are asking what is needed to keep expanding robotics. Is that through a standards pipeline? Is that just through best practices? Is it through thought leadership? The goal here is to establish ASTM where it can be a trusted advisor saying, “This is where we see the marketplace going.”

We can do the same thing by leveraging ASTM’s strong training department. I think the application side is really going to open training opportunities. Think the oil and gas industry. We already do a lot of training there. Guess what? Oil and gas is seeing more robots. Overall, there are many pathways we’re starting to explore. That’s my vision: get ASTM out there to help any industry that wants to add robots and automation.

Q. Recognizing the diversity of work happening organizationally, can you tell me about the goals of the committee specifically for standards?

Whil F45 is building out a suite of standards that could apply to almost any robot. Their main focus starting out was on mobile robots, and that’s still great. Mobile robots are one of the fastest growing segments. A robotic arm that used to be fixed is now on a base and it’s moving around. And the ultimate extension of that robot is the humanoids we’re seeing. A humanoid robot is just a mobile manipulator in human form. It’s really fascinating: F45 has gone after manipulation and grasping, so they’re addressing how it works. And then the legged group came in. They’re talking about special locomotion.

We are trying to be agnostic in our approach. We don’t care what your robot is doing. It could be in a factory, it could be in a warehouse, it could be out on a farm. All of them must do grasping and manipulation correctly, and they need to have locomotion of some sort. Whether that be wheels or legs, F45 has got you covered. The committee is trying to see where the marketplace is going and fill in gaps that exist in the standards framework. Several other SDOs have robot safety covered, but ASTM can support those efforts by creating test and performance standards to support those larger things.

Our goal is to work with our fellow SDOs to provide a leadership and thought framework. If the industry is going to grow this fast, standards organizations have to work together to address all the special needs. F45 has really carved out a space for testing and performance. I just came back from Japan and there was a new manipulator that was developed specifically for Google and their manipulation work. They leveraged F45 standards to build that new hand. It was fascinating to watch, and they even gave us some suggestions, saying, “This is probably what we’re going to need next as the technology keeps advancing.” It was great to hear our standards are being used, and they’re even recommending what the next phase needs to be. I’d like to see more of that interaction, whether it be with academia or industry. Use our standards, but also tell us where we need to go because that’s how we keep up with everything. ■

JP Ervin is content editor for Standardization News.

Aaron Prather is director, robotics and autonomous systems programs, for ASTM International. He previously worked with robotics and autonomous systems at FedEx. Additionally, Prather has participated in standards development with the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) and UL Standards and Engagement (UL). He holds a bachelor’s degree in geographic information systems from the University of Memphis and an MBA from Christian Brothers University.