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What Types of Jobs Are Available in Robotics?

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Engineering and technician industries employ skilled workers in robotics. Workers design robots, test and repair them, and sell them to businesses. "Today’s robotics professionals are at the forefront of solving some of our most challenging problems," notes Minnesota Business. "Robotics professionals help treat disease, increase the country's defenses, improve living standards and explore space," the magazine continues. Robotics workers and their partners are leading advances in technology.

Sales Engineer

Sales engineers in robotics focus on selling technologically or scientifically advanced products, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. "They possess extensive knowledge of these products, including knowledge about their components, functions, and the scientific processes that make them work," notes the bureau. Sales engineers will modify products to meet the needs of customers. Sales techniques are different for sales engineers than for other sales workers. The selling style is consultative. Sales engineers earned a median annual wage of $90,540 in 2009.

Robotics Engineer

Responsibilities of a robotics engineer include debugging robotics programs, providing technical support for robotic systems, reviewing designs, installing and maintaining robots, and integrating robots with peripherals, notes the occupational information network O-Net. Engineers designing a robot would "design and test the robot's components; integrate the components to produce the final design; and evaluate the design's overall effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety," according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Robotics engineers earned an $89,560 annual median wage in 2009.

Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical engineers carry a broad list of possible job responsibilities. They might "research, design, develop, manufacture, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices," according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. They work on power-producing machines, including robots used in manufacturing. Mechanical engineers earned a median $80,580 annual wage in 2009. The bureau projected a 6-percent growth for the job through 2018, below average for all careers.

Robotics Technician

Responsibilities of a robotics technician include building robotic devices, disassembling and reassembling robots for repair, installing robotic systems and conducting maintenance on robots, notes the occupational information network O-Net. Engineering technicians as a whole made an average $46,310 yearly salary in 2008, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Electromechanical technicians, who work with engineers to design robotics equipment, earned a median $49,880 annual wage in 2009.

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Writer

Chrystal Doucette was health and education reporter for "The Columbia Basin Herald," a staff reporter for the "Snohomish County Tribune" and a contributing writer for the "Everett Business Journal." She owns and operates a retail business full-time since 2010. Baldwin holds a master's degree in communication and a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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