IoT and Robotics: a synergy

The Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) [9] is a concept first introduced by Dan Kara at ABI Research, which talks about augmenting the existing IoT with active sensorization; thereby, opening the doors to novel business ideas, at the intersection of both IoT and Robotics. This position paper considers the synergy between IoT and robotics: it talks about the technologies in IoT that would benefit the robotics domain. The advent of Cloud Robotics and its role in aiding robot functions like sensing, manipulation, and mobility. The paper then discusses the ways in which robots can extend the capabilities of existing IoT infrastructure by acting as a special class of edge device. IoT-aided robotic applications are discussed in various domains like health-care, military, industrial plants and rescue operations. The paper concludes by considering the use case of an Intelligent Transportation System endowed by an IoRT-inspired architecture.