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Service robots are becoming an integrated part of daily life, entering even the most complex scenarios, yet at a slower pace than previously anticipated. This paper presents an overview of the changing area of robotics and the new challenges being faced. The case is made for all stakeholders to focus on the bottlenecks preventing the realization of the mass-markets in robotics expected since the late 1990s. Some of the key issues are discussed and possible strategies analysed to allow the emerging service robotics sector to reach its full potential. The goal is to create a unified vision and good working relationships with the key players throughout the world, active in both robotics research and development and robotics standardization. This paper presents an overview of these activities and provides suggestions for future plans. Along these lines, example cases of industrial, personal service, and medical robots are presented to highlight the desired development directions.

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