Robotics Supply Chain Improvement Act

The Robotics Supply Chain Improvement Act seeks to strengthen the domestic robotics industry by engaging key federal agencies. It directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to identify barriers to data collection and sharing for robotics development, promote industrial use of robotics, and coordinate with the industry to establish useful standards, especially for emerging use cases like humanoid robots and AI integration. NIST will also support robotics solutions for sectors such as mining, food processing, and elder care, and collaborate with education and labor departments on workforce development curricula. Furthermore, the bill mandates the Secretary of Commerce to submit annual reports to Congress for five years, detailing the adoption rate of robotics across various U.S. industries and geographic locations. These reports must assess industry-specific adoption, investment levels, identify barriers to adoption, describe the impact on workforce skills, and provide legislative recommendations. This comprehensive reporting aims to inform future policy decisions regarding the robotics sector. Finally, the legislation requires the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator to prioritize the licensing and commercialization of its robotics-related inventions, patents, and technologies to the private sector. This effort is intended to support and grow the domestic robotics industrial base, with NASA also required to report on its commercialization efforts within 180 days of the Act's enactment.