Introducing WeRobotics

WeRobotics accelerates the use of robotics to solve humanitarian challenges. More specifically, we accelerate the ethical, safe and effective use of robotics to address aid, development and environmental challenges. Robots, such as drones or UAVs, are already transforming multiple industries through rapid & dramatic gains in efficiency and productivity. The impact on the social good sector will be no different. We want to create a world in which every social good organization has access to robotics technologies to solve global and local challenges.

Robots are technologies that radically enhance the ability of people to sense and affect physical change. The state of the art in robotics is quickly shifting from manually controlled systems to increasingly intelligent autonomous systems. Aid, development & environmental organizations have yet to take full advantage of these new solutions. The field of robotics is evolving so quickly that the social good sector is largely unaware of the possibilities let alone how to translate this potential into meaningful impact. As a result, robotics solutions are often over-looked or worse: seen as a threat rather than a unique opportunity to accelerate social good. We turn this perceived threat into powerful new opportunities for both the technology and social good sectors.

Aerial robotics (or UAVs) represent the first wave of robotics to impact the social good sector by disrupting traditional modes of data collection and payload delivery. In fact, aerial robotics is the current leading edge of humanitarian robotics applications. UAVs stand to offer cost-saving, time-saving and even life-saving solutions by enabling novel ways to collect data and transport payloads. Both timely data and the capacity to act on this data are integral to aid, development and environmental projects. Aerial robotics can thus fulfill two key roles: data collection and payload delivery. Indeed, we’ve already witnessed this use of aerial robotics for social good in dozens countries in recent years including Albania, Bosnia, China, Guyana, Haiti, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand and Vanuatu.

The rapid commercialization of consumer UAVs explains why aerial robots are the first—but certainly not the last—wave of intelligent robots to impact the social good space. The second and third waves are already in plain sight: industry and academia are making tremendous strides in both terrestrial and maritime robotics. Like aerial robots, terrestrial and maritime robots will significantly extend people’s ability to collect data and transport payloads. WeRobotics thus seeks to fast-track the social good sector’s access to aerial, terrestrial and maritime robotics to expand the impact of aid, development and environmental projects.

The combined impact of increasingly autonomous systems on the social good sector will bring massive change. This will need to be managed carefully. WeRobotics offers dedicated platforms to channel this rapid change ethically, safely and effectively. Cities are the main drivers of innovation, social change, population growth and risk. To this end, WeRobotics is co-creating a global network of city-level labs in countries experiencing cascading risks, rapid development and/or environmental challenges. These localized platforms—our Flying Labs—are co-created with local and international partners to seed the social good sector with direct access to aerial, terrestrial and maritime robotics. The first phase will prioritize the deployment of aerial robotics, hence the name Flying Labs. Once terrestrial and maritime robotics become integrated into the Labs, these will become WeRobotics Labs.

Our Lab partners will include industry, academia and social good organizations as evidenced by our recent co-creation of Kathmandu Flying Labs in Nepal. Other local partners in Africa, Asia and South America have recently approached us to explore the possibility of co-creating Flying Labs in their cities as well. Each Lab will focus on sector-based applications of robotics that are directly relevant to the local area’s needs, interests and opportunities. As such, one Lab might lead with the deployment of aerial robotics for data collection in environmental projects while another might prioritize maritime robotics for payload delivery in development projects. A third might focus on autonomous terrestrial robotics for sensing and payload delivery in aid projects. In short, our co-created Labs are launchpads where robotics solutions can be deployed ethically, safely and effectively within each social good sector.

WeRobotics will manage the core activities of the Labs through our dedicated sector-based programs—AidRobotics, DevRobotics and EcoRobotics. These programs will partner with aid, development and environmental organizations respectively and with technology partners to carry out joint activities in each Lab. As such, each program is responsible for catalyzing and managing its own sector’s strategic partnerships, hands-on trainings, operational projects, applied research and key events within each of the Labs. Future programs might include HealthRobotics, AgriRobotics and RightsRobotics.

Once a Lab is fully trained in one type of robotics technology, such as aerial robotics, local Lab partners carry out future aerial robotics projects themselves. Meanwhile, WeRobotics works on introducing other relevant robotics solutions to the Labs—such as terrestrial and maritime robotics—in close collaboration with other technology partners. WeRobotics also ensures that learning and innovations generated in each Lab are disseminated to all labs in order to accelerate cross-pollination around uses cases and new robotics solutions.

WeRobotics is the missing link between robotics companies, academia and social good organizations. We want to catalyze strategic, cross-sectoral partnerships by creating a common purpose, platform and opportunity for these diverse partners to collaborate on meaningful social good projects. WeRobotics is currently a joint exploration between four accomplished professionals. We bring together decades of experience in the humanitarian sector, robotics industry and the private sector. Feedback and/or questions are welcomed via email.