How to use Robotics?

You definitely want to shift your production around when steel stops being as profitable. With robotic I tend to try to get life support instead of electronics because it's just so claim inefficient. Needling so many inputs.  If what your making isn't worth much you'll want to be able to switch to something that is but it's difficult since the robotic progression is completely independent of the resources that generally become pricey.  So rather than over commit to steel I'll try to diversify a little earlier at the cost of slower steel production.

You can't really go hacker array on steel because everyone else is producing it so that won't help you as much.  

I did a vs Manager AI game (I cant play online due to servers) where I basically went strong steel and power, while using double hacker as well as improving steel production with a early engineer la. Basically I was producing much more steel than everyone else while forcing shortages and keeping them there by not selling while not hacking, basically letting my turbines do the money making. Would you consider that advisable? The only reason I dont like going life support is because its so out of the way for my own tech path. If possible, I can link the replay file

Well, since you are playing against the AI any form of market manipulation is going to work, and the resources prices/usage are going to be quite consistent. Online vs humans, the meta is completely different at the moment where everyone tends to build aluminum/iron/steel at the start so its not uncommon to have steels price suppressed from the massive overproduction. Against the AI you can pretty much manipulate the market with the hacker array and profit without much interference. For that reason, you'll probably also have less luck with the life support resources against the AI since they generally don't short themselves on their production.

So playing food/power late game as robotics is the way to go?

Not quite.  It depends what is lacking.

Going water/food/fuel/power early can be very lucrative for a robotics player since you are not consuming your own valuable trade goods...   IF other players deploy as other than robotic and go heavy iron/steel starts.  You can always just use the revenue to buy your upgrades.

Really, though, it all depends on where the market goes; just like with every other HQ type.

I understand that I should play the market, but if everyone is playing the market as I am, that would natuarally lead to a surplus. Wouldn't here be a product or "tech route" that jives better with robotics? If everyone is making the same decisions, it no longer becomes a game of tactics and more of a game of mistakes and twitch reflexes.

On resource rich maps before the offworld markets come online, yes.  Thats exactly the game.  Find (or predict) where the shortages will be and be the first to cash in. Wreck the market for everyone else as you are moving on to (or creating) the next shortage.

If you want a more strategic play, turn the resources and map sizes down.  When there is only 3 tiles of water on the map and you hold all 3 claims and Slant Drilling you will win (unless everyone is robotic).

I guess I'm saying its all situational.