The boundaries between Computer Science and Robotics are continuing to be softened. On one hand computers are continuing to be humanized and a large number of cyber-physical systems are being developed to act upon the physical world. On the other hand the robotic community is looking into the robots of the 21st century that are versatile computing machines with high social impact potential, such as enhance transportation safety, reduce agricultural pesticide use, and improve public safety and crime-fighting efficacy, among other things. The barriers that restrain their diffusion significantly correlate to the complexity of developing their software control systems, which must be reliable, maintainable, intelligent, and safe.

Robotic Computing (RC) addresses the synergetic interaction of computing technologies and robotic technologies. The synergy between Robotics and Computer Science is both realistic and strategic. Their mutual benefit is to make it possible to build and evolve new robotic systems, to reduce their development cost, and to enhance their quality.