Robotics Fluency: Foundations
Understand robots and physical AI, separate progress from hype and bring robots into work safely
Robots are moving beyond auto plants into warehouses, hospitals, farms and small manufacturers, and AI is making them more flexible. Humanoid robots draw headlines and investment. This free course from the Enterprise Technology Association (ETA) gives you a clear, honest foundation: what robots can and can't do today, how physical AI changes them, what it means for jobs and skills, and how to bring robots into a workplace safely. You'll leave with ETA's Robot fit check for judging any robot project.
What you'll learn
- The main kinds of robots at work and the latest global numbers
- What physical AI and vision-language-action models add, and how to read humanoid news
- Robot density, how robots change tasks and roles, and the skills that matter
- The core safety standards (ISO 10218:2025, ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025) and how risk assessment works
- ETA's Robot fit check, ways to pay and how to run a good pilot
Who it's for
Professionals, leaders, students and curious learners in any field, especially manufacturing, logistics, health care, facilities, workforce development and economic development. No engineering or programming background is needed.
How it works
Two modules with a short Try it exercise in every lesson, a knowledge check at the end of each module and a final assessment. Score 80% or higher on the final assessment to complete the course (1 credit hour).
Robotics moves quickly. Facts in this course are current as of late 2026; check the sources for the latest.