Richard Bloss

About

Richard Bloss is a prolific technology journalist and researcher whose work has significantly shaped public and academic understanding of applied robotics across diverse industries. Specializing in industrial automation, collaborative robotics, and autonomous systems, Bloss has dedicated his career to documenting and analyzing the transformative impact of robotic technologies in real-world settings. His most cited work, "Mobile hospital robots cure numerous logistic needs" (2011, 103 citations), demonstrated how autonomous robots could revolutionize healthcare logistics, while his highly influential 2016 study on collaborative robots (95 citations) captured a pivotal moment in manufacturing history, chronicling how cobots were reshaping productivity, workplace safety, and accessibility for smaller enterprises. Beyond industrial applications, Bloss has examined robotics in agriculture, nuclear decommissioning, unmanned vehicles, and even educational telepresence, revealing the extraordinary breadth of his interests. His methodology—anchored in firsthand interviews with developers and exhibitors—lends his work a rare combination of technical depth and journalistic immediacy. With cumulative citations spanning hundreds of references, Bloss has become an invaluable chronicler of robotics innovation, making complex technological advances accessible to engineers, policymakers, and researchers navigating an increasingly automated world.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Mobile hospital robots cure numerous logistic needs

   103 citations · 2011
2. 2
   Collaborative robots are rapidly providing major improvements in productivity, safety, programing ease, portability and cost while addressing many new applications

   95 citations · 2016
3. 3
   Unmanned vehicles while becoming smaller and smarter are addressing new applications in medical, agriculture, in addition to military and security

   22 citations · 2014
4. 4
   Robot innovation brings to agriculture efficiency, safety, labor savings and accuracy by plowing, milking, harvesting, crop tending/picking and monitoring

   19 citations · 2014
5. 5
   Robot walks on all four legs and carries a heavy load

   17 citations · 2012
6. 6
   Robotics innovations at the 2009 Assembly Technology Expo

   15 citations · 2010
7. 7
   By air, land and sea, the unmanned vehicles are coming

   15 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Simultaneous sensing of location and mapping for autonomous robots

   14 citations · 2008
9. 9
   How do you decommission a nuclear installation? Call in the robots

   14 citations · 2010
10. 10
    High school student goes to class robotically

    13 citations · 2011

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