  Robotic systems are multi-dimensional entities, combining both hardware and
software, that are heavily dependent on, and influenced by, interactions with
the real world. They can be variously categorised as embedded, cyberphysical,
real-time, hybrid, adaptive and even autonomous systems, with a typical robotic
system being likely to contain all of these aspects. The techniques for
developing and verifying each of these system varieties are often quite
distinct. This, together with the sheer complexity of robotic systems, leads us
to argue that diverse formal techniques must be integrated in order to develop,
verify, and provide certification evidence for, robotic systems. Furthermore,
we propose the fast evolving field of robotics as an ideal catalyst for the
advancement of integrated formal methods research, helping to drive the field
in new and exciting directions and shedding light on the development of
large-scale, dynamic, complex systems.
