| Over the last ten years there has been increasing interest in the field of robotics to perform hazardous and mundane duties for the military. The need is also apodictical for commercial applications in areas of construction, law enforcement, search and rescue, and certain manufacturing operations. Unique characteristics of these systems require special handling in the management of the technologies supporting their development. These robots are complex systems that are on the leading edge in many technical areas, and will require innovative approaches in technology management to ensure the efficacy of system performance. A methodology is proposed as a management tool to effectively equate system performance requirements to technologies, effectively track those technologies, identify areas of criticality and ultimately feed into long term strategic planning through the use of technology roadmapping. The study of details each formal step in the proposed methodology and concludes with a recommended approach for long term development of the integrated product. |
