Autonomy is the ability of a system to respond to uncertain situations by independently composing and selecting among different courses of action to accomplish goals based on knowledge and a contextual understanding of the world, itself, and the situation. Autonomy is characterized by degrees of self- directed behaviour (levels of Autonomy) ranging from fully manual to fully autonomous.

Robotics is the study of designing and building autonomous systems spanning all levels of Autonomy (including full human control). Unmanned Vehicles may be remotely controlled by a person or act autonomously depending on the mission. Applications include access to unreachable areas, persistent surveillance, long endurance, robots in support of soldiers, cheaper capabilities, and automated logistics deliveries.