Develop, test, or program new robots.

“Develop, test, or program new robots.” is a supplemental task performed by Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians. Among the occupation's 29 rated tasks, workers place it 29th by importance (#1 most important). About 37% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Test performance of equipment or systems. in Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Program computer systems or production equipment. in Working with Computers
• Design electrical or electronic systems or equipment. in Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E2. Exposure with tools — software built on top of a language model (not the model alone) could cut the time by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.50. Automation potential label: T1.

How AI is actually used on this kind of task

The Anthropic Economic Index observes how people actually use AI on tasks like this one across millions of real conversations.

• 0.009% share of AI-use records mapped to this task
• Most common interaction: directive
• Average autonomy of the AI: 4.0 (1–5; higher = more autonomous)
• 62% of interactions still needed a human in the loop

Observed AI use describes people choosing to use AI as a tool on this kind of task today. It is augmentation and assistance, not a measure of jobs replaced.

Working with AI vs. handing it off

Of the AI conversations mapped to this task, the split between people working alongside AI and people delegating the task to it.

How people interact with AI on this task

Other tasks in this occupation

• Test performance of electromechanical assemblies, using test instruments such as oscilloscopes, electronic voltmeters, or bridges. · importance 4.3
• Install or program computer hardware or machine or instrumentation software in microprocessor-based systems. · importance 4.3
• Read blueprints, schematics, diagrams, or technical orders to determine methods and sequences of assembly. · importance 4.2
• Modify, maintain, or repair electrical, electronic, or mechanical components, equipment, or systems to ensure proper functioning. · importance 4.2
• Prepare written documentation of electromechanical test results. · importance 4.2
• Inspect parts for surface defects. · importance 4.1
• Install electrical or electronic parts and hardware in housings or assemblies, using soldering equipment and hand tools. · importance 4.1
• Verify part dimensions or clearances to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. · importance 4.0
• Repair, rework, or calibrate hydraulic or pneumatic assemblies or systems to meet operational specifications or tolerances. · importance 3.9
• Fabricate or assemble mechanical, electrical, or electronic components or assemblies. · importance 3.9
• Align, fit, or assemble component parts, using hand or power tools, fixtures, templates, or microscopes. · importance 3.9
• Select and use laboratory, operational, or diagnostic techniques or test equipment to assess electromechanical circuits, equipment, processes, systems, or subsystems. · importance 3.8
• Operate, test, or maintain robotic equipment used for green production applications, such as waste-to-energy conversion systems, minimization of material waste, or replacement of human operators in dangerous work environments. · importance 3.8
• Produce electrical, electronic, or mechanical drawings or other related documents or graphics necessary for electromechanical design, using computer-aided design (CAD) software. · importance 3.7

See all tasks on the Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-10902,
  title  = {Develop, test, or program new robots.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-10902}
}