The International Robotics Community Participates in the Technical Design and Development Event for the Personal, Service and Mobile Robotics Industry
SANTA CLARA, CA – November 18, 2008 – Robotics Trends and EH Publishing today announced the successful commencement of the 2nd Annual RoboDevelopment Conference & Exposition (www.robodevelopment.com). RoboDevelopment Conference & Exposition, the international technical design and development event for personal, service and mobile robotics industry, is taking place today and tomorrow, November 18-19, 2008, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.
The two-day conference program consists of five keynote presentations by world-renowned leaders and dozens of informative conference sessions in four dedicated tracks: Achieving Autonomy; Enabling Technology; Systems, Design & Development; and Tools & Platforms, along with a Bonus Track covering other important topics. The conference sessions are presented by an elite group of industry experts and cover the most critical issues related to the design and development of robots and robotic technology.
This morning’s program kicked off with an enlightening keynote presentation by the General Manager of Microsoft’s Robotics Group, Tandy Trower. During his keynote, Trower emphasized Microsoft’s commitment to addressing the growing needs of the emerging robotics community and described the evolution of their successful platform and toolset, Microsoft Robotics Studio.
Immediately following Microsoft’s presentation, Sebastian Thrun, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at Stanford University, delivered his keynote presentation, “Making Cars Drive Themselves.” Thrun focused on the fascinating world of robotics cars and the impact that self-driving cars will have on society once the technology has sufficiently matured. Sebastian Thrun led the development of the robotic vehicle, Stanley, which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. The artificially intelligent car traversed 132 miles of desert in less than seven hours, yielding both a $2 million payout and a well-deserved spot in robotics history. His team also developed Junior, which placed second at the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007.
Maja J. Matarić, Founding Director of USC’s Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems, delivered the final keynote presentation of the morning. Matarić’s presentation, entitled “Inventing the Future of Socially Assistive Robotics,” explored the vision, challenges, and advancements of socially assistive robotics as a major emerging robotics trend.
During the lunch break, Conference attendees participated in dynamic “Birds-of-a-Feather” Roundtable Discussions. Experts from Velodyne Lidar, Microsoft, Willow Garage, Inspired Energy, and National Instruments were on hand to moderate the discussions, which focused on Sensors, Sensing and Robotics Vision; Microsoft Robotics Studio; Linux and Open Source Solutions; Batteries and Power Technology; and Design and Development.
Following the afternoon sessions, Conference Attendees, Speakers, Event Sponsors, and Exhibiting Companies will network and enjoy refreshments at the Evening Welcome Reception at the nearby David’s Restaurant.
The RoboDevelopment Expo Floor, which opened at 11:00AM this morning, is buzzing with excitement as dozens of leading robotics organizations from around the world display their robots and provide hands-on access to the latest design and development solutions for robotic technology. A list of exhibiting companies can be found here http://www.robodevelopment.com/highlights/expo.html. The Expo Floor is open until 5:00PM today and from 11:00AM-3:30PM on Wednesday.
Expo Floor Highlights Include:
* The latest version of Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRDS), boasting of graphical application partitioning and the ability to export SolidWorks models into MSRDS 2008
* Nao, the first fully programmable humanoid from Aldebaran Robotics
* National Instrument's graphical system design tools, along with examples of robots and robotic technology built using the products
* Willow Garage's open source robotics offerings
* The latest platform and navigation solutions from MobileRobots Inc for building commercial, intelligent mobile robots
* Energid's control, simulation and vision solutions for developing robotic solutions for the space, defense, medical and industrial markets
The schedule for Wednesday, November 19 includes a Keynote Presentation by Michael Bruch, Section Head of the Unmanned Systems Branch of the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center. Bruch’s presentation, “Opportunities in the Defense and Security Robotics Sector,” will concentrate on the current Department of Defense program, technology gaps, and avenues for private industry to become involved in filling those gaps. A second keynote presentation by the Chief Executive Officer of MobileRobots Inc, Jeanne Dietsch, will round out the morning program. In her presentation, Dietsch will present the various strategies that technical professionals, key participants in the birth of the autonomous service robot industry, can employ to optimize robotics opportunities. Throughout the afternoon on Wednesday, attendees can choose from over a dozen thought-provoking conference sessions. The event concludes at 5:00PM.
Onsite Attendee Registration is available today until 5:00PM and on Wednesday from 7:00AM-3:00PM.
About the RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition
Robotics Trends’ RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition is a multifaceted educational forum and trade show dedicated to addressing the technical issues involved with the design and development of commercial robotic products. The RoboDevelopment exposition hall provides attendees with hands on access to the latest design and development solutions for producing mobile robotics and intelligent systems technology, while the RoboDevelopment keynotes and general sessions are specifically designed to impart to technical professionals the information they need to develop the next generation of personal, service and mobile robots.
Complete event details and registration information is available online at www.robodevelopment.com.
About Robotics Trends
Robotics Trends, a division of EH Publishing, Inc., is the world’s first integrated media firm serving the burgeoning personal, service and mobile robotics marketplace. Robotics Trends services their clientele through three major business divisions:
* Robotics Trends Publishing, which produces www.roboticstrends.com, an online news, information and analysis portal focused on business and technology trends for people who build, buy, invest in, and seek to understand the personal, service, mobile and military robotics market;
* Robotics Trends Events, which produces the RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition (www.robodevelopment.com), RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition (www.robobusiness.com) and the RoboNexus Conference and Exposition (www.robonexus.com); and
* Robotics Trends Analyst Services serving the strategic consulting needs of leading emerging robotics manufacturers.