The robotics field involves the integration of multiple foundational technologies, which means progress is heavily reliant on global supply chains for parts such as chips and materials.
Supply chain issues are one of the most important near-term infrastructure challenges in robotics. The robotics field involves the integration of multiple foundational technologies, which means progress is heavily reliant on global supply chains for parts such as chips and materials. To illustrate, DJI is a Chinese company that controls a large share of the drone market. One important reason for this dominance is that the entire supply chain for DJI drones is self-contained within one region of China. Start-up companies in the United States working in this space are generally forced to turn to Chinese suppliers as the US supply chain for drones is fragmented, making it cumbersome, expensive, and slow to deliver.