  The recent coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the many challenges faced by
the healthcare, public safety, and economic systems when confronted with a
surge in patients that require intensive treatment and a population that must
be quarantined or shelter in place. The most obvious and pressing challenge is
taking care of acutely ill patients while managing spread of infection within
the care facility, but this is just the tip of the iceberg if we consider what
could be done to prepare in advance for future pandemics. Beyond the obvious
need for strengthening medical knowledge and preparedness, there is a
complementary need to anticipate and address the engineering challenges
associated with infectious disease emergencies. Robotic technologies are
inherently programmable, and robotic systems have been adapted and deployed, to
some extent, in the current crisis for such purposes as transport, logistics,
and disinfection. As technical capabilities advance and as the installed base
of robotic systems increases in the future, they could play a much more
significant role in future crises. This report is the outcome of a virtual
workshop co-hosted by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the
Computing Community Consortium (CCC) held on July 9-10, 2020. The workshop
consisted of over forty participants including representatives from the
engineering/robotics community, clinicians, critical care workers, public
health and safety experts, and emergency responders. It identifies key
challenges faced by healthcare responders and the general population and then
identifies robotic/technological responses to these challenges. Then it
identifies the key research/knowledge barriers that need to be addressed in
developing effective, scalable solutions. Finally, the report ends with the
following recommendations on how to implement this strategy.
