S. 5310 — Robotics Supply Chain Improvement Act

This section defines robotics for purposes of the Act to include programmable multi-functional mechanical devices, programmed actuated mechanisms with a degree of autonomy, industrial manipulators programmable in at least three axes, machines that sense and act on their environment, and unmanned ground vehicle systems operated remotely by at least one person. It excludes unmanned aircraft systems, passenger vehicles, and toys.

This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, within 90 days of enactment, to identify barriers and solutions for expanding data collection and sharing to support artificial intelligence models and robotics hardware development. It also requires the Director to promote industrial robotics use, coordinate standards for emerging applications such as humanoid robots and AI integration, support robotics deployment in mining, food processing, and elder care, and develop workforce training curricula with the Secretaries of Education and Labor.

This section directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, to submit to Congress a report on robotics adoption by U.S. firms within one year of enactment and annually for the following four years. Each report must assess geographic and industry-specific adoption rates, investment levels by industry, barriers to adoption, workforce and skill impacts, and legislative recommendations.

This section directs the NASA Administrator to prioritize licensing of agency inventions, patents, and technologies related to robotics to the private sector for commercialization, in order to support the domestic robotics industrial base. It also requires the Administrator to submit a report on those efforts to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology within 180 days.