Say we asked you to list your favorite movies…would I, Robot, WALL-E, Blade Runner, and all the Terminators be included? If you're the type of person who's interested in contributing to the future of robotics, you've come to the right profile. 

Robotics engineers have expertise in math, engineering, design, and a whole slew of more specific topics. They also earn an average of around $94,310 per year (source). You know, if that's something that matters to you.

A professional robotics engineer might be working on a handful of projects all at once, so he or she has to stay informed on the inner workings of a variety of topics. Such topics range from miniaturized hydraulics to additive manufacturing (3D printing) to cognitive decision-making processes. What this all means, ultimately, is that they need super-awesome multitasking skills.

It's sort of a mantra in this field to be pushing boundaries whenever possible, so a complex blend of expertise is always helpful. Along those same lines, a robotics engineer is always thinking of new ways to solve the massive range of problems that they encounter, so one or more of the projects they're working on could be research and development for an original product or process (source).

 

NASA kind of needs you guys. (Source)

Whether opting for a steady gig at a good lab like NASA or General Motors, or going the hired-gun route and picking up projects on a consultancy basis, the career outlook for a qualified robotics engineer is pretty good.

Really though, the age of robotics is fast approaching, so this is a sensible rabbit hole to go down. Job growth in this field is set to explode, and innovation is king, so it's definitely possible to have some real fun with a career in this business.

This is a highly collaborative field, so the ability to play nice with others is a must. The brooding, independent roboticist on a mission to transform mankind probably isn't going to get too far. 

 

Whoa, easy there. (Source)

If you're the lone wolfbot-buildin' type, the best you can hope for is that your wolfbot really takes off with the kids. Kids like wolves right? Hey, it's your bot to build. If it's money you're after, though, you may want to consider working on a team.

So what constitutes a robot? Well, robots are more complex than simple machines like pistons or gears, which can only typically perform one task. Robots may perform many tasks or just one, but there's one important distinction between awesome robots and plain old machines: robots collect information from the physical world to refine their senses and perform large- or small-scale tasks with precision. So if you're interested in bots that play music and perform facial recognition, read on.

As materials and processes are tweaked and perfected, today's experimental technology could become tomorrow's household amenity.

Sooner or later, the price of robot technology will hit the tipping point. It'll go from being expensive and unnecessary to cost-efficient and totally worth the money. Companies and governments will be snapping up robots for all sorts of jobs, both white collar and blue. Really, this is an inevitability, assuming the robots are willing to work for us...

All that said, this is a really cool job—like, life-of-the-party cool. You can literally bring robots to the party. Little Andy Roboto is totally going to be a hit when he busts out the sweet dance moves you pre-programmed into him. Maybe he'll even throw a few of his own into the mix.

No, wait. That'd be terrifying(ly cool?).

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