America can't out-innovate China without mechanical engineers - or robots - The Robot Report

The article highlights a critical challenge facing the U.S. manufacturing sector: a significant shortage of mechanical engineers, which undermines efforts to reshore manufacturing and compete with countries like China. While China graduates over 350,000 mechanical engineers annually, the U.S. produces fewer than 45,000, creating a structural disadvantage in scaling industrial innovation. This shortage extends beyond mechanical engineering to other vital fields such as industrial, controls, and manufacturing engineering. The author stresses that addressing this gap requires more than policy changes; it demands a national strategy focused on enhancing STEM education and expanding access to practical, scalable robotics automation. Automation and robotics are presented not as job replacers but as essential tools that enable engineers and technicians to increase productivity, especially in small and midsize manufacturing firms that often lack resources to implement advanced systems. However, high costs and technical barriers limit access to these technologies. Initiatives like ROS-Industrial aim to make robotics more modular and accessible, but success also depends on comprehensive education, training,