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Robotics Trends’
RoboNexus
Conference and Exposition is
a multifaceted educational forum and
exposition designed to bring together in
once place, across four days, all of the
key participants driving the burgeoning
personal, service and mobile robotics
market.
RoboNexus provides two days
of insightful
Keynotes Sessions, as well
as four dedicated, one day
Conference
Programs Sessions spread over two days.
RoboNexus
also includes two days of 'family
friendly'
Consumer Expo Sessions,
as well as the
Product Spotlight Sessions
running continuously on the
RoboNexus
exposition floor.
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RoboNexus
Conference Educational Sessions |
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Keynote Sessions |
Thursday-Friday |
October 6-7, 2005 |
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Business Development and
Opportunities |
Thursday |
October 6, 2005 |
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Emerging Robotics Technologies,
Products and Applications |
Thursday |
October 6, 2005 |
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Industry Development
Program |
Thursday |
October 7, 2005 |
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Robotics Design, Development and
Standards |
Friday |
October 7, 2005 |
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Robotics Education and Curriculum
Development |
Friday |
October 7, 2005 |
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Industry
Development Program |
Friday |
October 8-9, 2005 |
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Consumer Expo Sessions |
Saturday-Sunday |
October 8-9, 2005 |
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RoboNexus
Product Spotlight Sessions |
Friday-Saturday-Sunday |
October 7-9, 2005 |
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Keynote Sessions |
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Thursday, Oct.
6, 2005 9:00 AM |
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REAL Service Robots….. From
Factories, Human Services, Military and Space
Applications
-
Walter
Weisel -
Chairman & CEO,
Innova Holdings |
Robotic
technology has evolved from early applications in the
1960s to modern day robotics in industrial, consumer,
homeland security, military, and space applications,
with much more to follow. A video presentation will
support the speaker’s outline of the current and future
mission critical application needs as well as a
historical look at the evolution of precise motion
control, tactile sensing, vision, mobility, and the wide
range of robotic arms required to complete specific
missions.
Walter
Weisel, Chairman & CEO of Robotic Workspace
Technologies, has had a multifaceted career that spans
over 29 years of direct robotic and automation industry
experience. From Cincinnati Milacron, working hands-on
with machine controls and computers, to working with the
initial developers of the industrial robot, at
Unimation, Inc., Walter Weisel's strong leadership and
vision found him at the helm of Prab Robots, Inc. as
COO, President and CEO; while also serving as a three
term President of the Robotic Industries Association
(RIA). During his tenure at Prab Robots, Inc. he took
the company public with a successful public offering,
and grew revenues over 700%. Mr. Weisel is a recipient
of the Joseph Engelberger Award, and has also served as
President of Robotics International, which represents
over 12,000 members.
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Thursday, Oct.
6, 2005 10:00 AM |
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Robotics:
Machines and Ideas
- Matt Mason -
Director, Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon
University |
The
Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon has been
conducting robotics research since 1979, and now has
over 300 faculty and technical staff with an annual
sponsored research budget of 45 million dollars.
The diversity of research activity suggests a range of
commercial applications far exceeding the popular
conception of robotics. In this forward thinking
keynote session, Matt Mason, Director of the Robotics
Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), will
describe a variety of technologies currently under
development at CMU and the implications of these
initiatives for future commercial robotics applications.
Matt
Mason is the Director of the Robotics Institute at
Carnegie Mellon University. His career began with
graduate studies at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab.
Since 1982 he has been on the faculty of Computer
Science and Robotics at CMU, with brief stints at Sandia
National Labs and IBM Yorktown Heights. He is
co-author of "Robot Hands and the Mechanics of
Manipulation" (MIT Press 1985), co-editor of "Robot
Motion: Planning and Control" (MIT Press 1982), and
author of "Mechanics of Robotic Manipulation" (MIT Press
2001). He is a winner of the System Development
Foundation Prize, a Fellow of the AAAI, and a Fellow of
the IEEE.
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Thursday, Oct.
6, 2005 11:00 AM |
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Mobile
Robots: The Value Proposition
- Jeanne Dietsch
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CEO, MobileRobots |
Beyond
novelty and R2D2 fantasies, what value do real robots
offer now and in the near future? Why are mobile robots
just becoming viable? Where do the opportunities lie,
not just for end users, but for manufacturers,
technology partners and channel partners?
Jeanne
Dietsch is a technology market pundit and serial
entrepreneur. At age 26 she became product development
manager of the Weber Costello company. She was
hand-picked at age 29 by Pat McGovern, founder of IDG,
to lead a market research start-up. After quadrupling
sales and selling that firm, she partnered in a venture
that developed award-winning game software. In 1995, she
founded ActivMedia Research, the first e-commerce market
research firm. Dietsch also co-founded ActivMedia
Robotics, aka MobileRobots.com. For the last 10 years,
the MobileRobots team has been designing and building
the complex systems underlying autonomous programmable
robotic bases and control systems. With over 2,000
robots in the field, Dietsch leads one of the most
experienced manufacturers of intelligent mobile
platforms in the world.
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Friday, Oct. 6,
2005 9:00 AM |
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Robots 2005
- Colin Angle -
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, iRobot |
Robots
are turning up everywhere -- from our homes, to
battlefields in Iraq and even as far as Mars. Today,
robots are enabling people to complete dangerous or
distasteful tasks in safer, easier ways. In
this illuminating session, iRobot co-founder and CEO
Colin Angle looks at some of the exciting
developments in this space, including the importance
of robots in the industry, military and education.
Colin
Angle guides the strategic direction of the company.
Mr. Angle is a true pioneer in the field of mobile
robots, designing the behavior-controlled rovers for
NASA that led to the Sojourner exploring Mars in
1997. But more importantly Mr. Angle has pioneered
business models and relationships responsible for
the introduction of multiple commercially viable
robotic products in commercial and consumer markets.
Mr. Angle's vision and commitment were recently
recognized when he was named the Ernst and Young New
England Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2003 (with
iRobot co-founder Helen Greiner). This prestigious
award lauds his vision, skills, accomplishments and
determination in fostering the growth of a
brainchild into a successful business. Mr. Angle
holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S.
in Computer Science, both from MIT.
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Friday, Oct. 7,
2005 10:00 AM |
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New Robots for New Missions - NASA Exploration
Requirements for Robotics Technology
- Rob Ambrose -
Director Johnson Space Center, NASA |
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Friday, Oct. 7,
2005 12:00 PM |
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Conference Luncheon Keynote
-
Daniel Zanini -
SAIC Senior Vice President and Program Manager and
SAIC Deputy Program Manager - Future Combat Systems Lead
Systems Integrator |
As
Senior Vice President, Daniel R. Zanini is SAIC’s Program
Manager for the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. FCS is
a major Army transformation initiative in the System
Development and Demonstration Phase and is valued at $21.2B.
Prior to his current assignment, Zanini retired from the US
Army as a Lieutenant General on 1 January 2003, after more
than 37 years of service. Immediately prior to retirement,
he commanded the Eighth U.S. Army in Korea with concurrent
duties as Chief of Staff, United Nations Command, Combined
Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea. He has
previously held a wide variety of important command and
staff positions. Key assignments held recently include
Deputy Chief of Staff for Combat Developments, U.S. Army
Training and Doctrine Command; Assistant Division Commander
for Maneuvers, 4th Infantry Division, and Chief of Staff,
III Corps and Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas; Executive Officer
to the Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, Washington, DC; Chief
of Staff, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas; Commander, 1st and 3d Brigade, 1st Armored Division,
U.S. Army Europe and Saudi Arabia; United Nations Military
Observer, Palestine; and as a Senior Fellow, Council on
Foreign Relations, New York, New York.
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Thursday
October 6, 2005 |
Business Development and Opportunity Program |
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1:00 |
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Mobile Robotics: Commercial Opportunities, Commercial
Constraints
- Neena Buck -
Vice President of Emerging Frontiers
Strategy Analytics |
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In
this insightful session, robotics industry analyst Neena
Buck will describe the market potential for both
business-to-business and consumer based mobile robotics,
as well as potential pitfalls for those thinking about
entering this exciting new market. An overview of the
various categories of mobile robots coming out of
research labs, as well as their potential for
productization, will also be described. Ms. Buck will
also assist strategic thinkers in visualizing
technologies that could help transform future robotics
products, services and business models.
Neena
Buck is Vice President of the Emerging Frontiers
practice at Strategy Analytics, an industry analysis and
market research firm. Emerging Frontiers examines the
confluence of future-generation intelligent computing
and communications systems with the needs of
leading-edge businesses and consumers. Through
scenario-building, continuous contact with academic and
research labs and periodic focus groups with early
adopter consumers, Ms. Buck assists strategic thinkers
in visualizing technologies that could help transform
future products, services and business models.
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October 6, 2005
2:00 |
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Micro/Nanotech: Key Enabling
Technologies Supporting the Growth
of the Robotics Industry
- Louis Ross -
Managing Director
Global Emerging Technology Institute |
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The
growth of the global growth of the robotics industry is
expected to be significant due to the deployment of new
key enabling technologies such as MEMS and
nanotechnology. These technologies are being used to
address some of the long-standing barriers technical and
costs barriers that have inhibited the widespread
commercialization of various types of robotic systems.
These technologies will greatly reduce production costs
and lead to the greater functionality of commercially
viable products, creating a number of new industries. In
key countries such as Japan, R&D and commercialization
of these technologies have been paired with initiatives
directly related to supporting the continued growth of
the robotics industry.
Louis
Ross is the Managing Director and COO of the Global
Emerging Technology Institute (GETI) is a U.S. 501(c)(3)
organization which is dedicated to surveying and
analyzing emerging technology development trends
overseas in comparison with activity taking place in the
United States. Prior to founding GETI in 2001, he was
Equity Strategist, Asst. Vice President in the Research
Department of Merrill Lynch Japan (MLJ) in Tokyo where
he and his team were responsible for managing the Japan
Portfolio for MLJ while advising large domestic and
foreign institutional investors. Prior to Merrill Lynch,
Mr. Ross worked as an Assistant to the Financial
Attaché’, Treasury Department., U.S. Embassy in Tokyo as
a Rotary International Japan Ambassadorial Scholar. HE
has also worked as a Research Associate at the American
Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI),
the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
(NASDAQ), as an Industry Analyst, and was an Intern for
the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in the Office
of Economic Analysis and the Office of International
Affairs. Louis Ross is a member of the Association for
Investment Management and Research (AIMR) and a former
co-Chairman of the International Investment Committee of
the New York Society of Securities Analysts (NYSSA).
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October 6, 2005
3:15 |
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Robotics Industry: Grow Up!
- Lance Ulanoff -
Editor
PCMag.com |
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In
the last decade there has been a handful of exiting
consumer robot products (and even fewer real successes):
Roomba, AIBO. Robosapien and…? Well there’s the rub.
There aren’t any other success stories. The industry is
stalled in a quagmire of bad or severely lacking
business leadership, clarity of ideas and focus of
vision. What can and must be done to take the consumer
robo industry to the next level? PCMag.com Editor, Lance
Ulanoff looks at the problems and offers some possible
solutions, including a one truly heretical idea. |
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October 6, 2005
4:15 |
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Setting Up and Launching a Robotics Company
- Michael S. Chester -
President, International Manufacturing Consultants,
Chair IEEE Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network |
This
session will cover the nuts and bolts of setting up and
launching a robotics company. Topics covered will
include market research, defining your market,
developing the technology, writing a business plan,
raising funds including venture capital, building a
management team, legal issues, sales and marketing,
partnering and forming strategic alliances, and exit
strategies.
Mike
Chester is Chair of the IEEE Boston Entrepreneurs’
Network and is founder and President of International
Manufacturing Consultants. Mike has founded and
co-founded several companies and has helped raise almost
$40 million in financing. He has designed industrial
robots for the nuclear industry and spent 16 years with
IBM designing robots and setting up global manufacturing
operations, and has competed on the TV show, Robot Wars.
He spent one year working in China for the Chinese
Machine Building Ministry. Mike earned his BS Electrical
Engineering and MS Computer Engineering from Syracuse
University and his MBA from Union College.
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Thursday
October 6, 2005 |
Emerging Robotics Technologies,
Products and Applications Program |
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1:00 |
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90% Perspiration - Bringing Durability, Reliability &
Repeatability To Robotic Transportation
- John Morrell -
Director, Systems Engineering Segway LLC |
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The
Object Management Group (OMG) is a not-for-profit
computer industry standards consortium best known for
specifications including the Model Driven Architecture
(MDA), Unified Modeling Language (UML), and Common
Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). The MDA
unifies application requirements analysis, architecture,
design, and development by standardizing the route from
a platform-independent functional model defined in UML
to an application coded on virtually any platform. MDA
has already been adapted to high-assurance,
resource-constrained real-time applications and has been
proven in such areas as telecommunications network
management and fighter-jet avionics. Recent applications
in robotics have proven so successful that a number of
companies have joined together to establish standards
for MDA in Robotics using OMG's open process. In this
session attendees will hear how the model-driven based
software development employing OMG standards are being
applied in the robotics industry.
John Morrell is
the chief systems engineer for the Segway LLC. He
started with Deka Research and Development in 1996 as
the lead control engineer on the IBOT, a mobility device
that allows disabled people to climb stairs and stand at
eye-level by using dynamic stabilization technology. In
1999, Dr. Morrell joined a team to develop the control
software and system design of a two wheeled mobility
device code named "Ginger". For the past five years, he
has led the development of many of the core technologies
for the Segway Transporter including development of
control architectures and algorithms and their
implementation into production software.
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October 6, 2005
2:00 |
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Model Driven Architecture (MDA)-Based Software
Development in Robotics
- Jon
Siegel -
Vice President, Technology Transfer, Object Management
Group |
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The
Segway Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP) is a new
transportation base for use in mobile robotics that was
created by leveraging the transportation engineering of
the Segway Human Transporter. The RMP's reliability,
durability and compact power system have made it an
enabling technology for robotics researchers in a
variety of applications. This session will describe the
validation program that created the RMP, discuss the
benefits of using off-the-shelf transportation and
review some successful applications of RMP users.
Dr.
Jon Siegel, OMG's Vice President of Technology Transfer,
heads OMG's technology transfer program with the goal of
teaching the technical aspects and benefits of the Model
Driven Architecture (MDA) based on OMG's
industry-standard Unified Modeling Language (UML) and
its foundation standards: the MetaObject Facility (MOF),
XML Metadata Interchange (XMI), and the Common Warehouse
Metamodel (CWM). Also included in scope is OMG's
industry-standard middleware, the Common Object Request
Broker Architecture (CORBA) and MDA-based
industry-specific standards. In this capacity, he
presents tutorials, seminars, and company briefings
around the world, and writes magazine articles and books
including the popular "CORBA 3 Fundamentals and
Programming" and "Quick CORBA 3". With OMG since 1993,
Siegel previously chaired the Domain Technology
Committee responsible for OMG specifications in the
vertical domains.
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October 6, 2005
3:15 |
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Raising the Ante: FloorBotics
Self-Mapping Robot Floor Cleaners
- Duncan Ashworth -
President, Floorbotics |
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To
be successful in the robotic floor cleaning market, as
in any consumer market, products must deliver superior
functionality at a compelling price point. Cleaning
robots must thoroughly clean the maximum amount of floor
area on a single battery charge. In addition, the robot
must not be too heavy, must not be expensive, and must
be easy to use. In this session, attendees will hear how
FloorBotics employs its ARNA™ technology to meet these
seemingly contradictory requirements.
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October 6, 2005
4:15 |
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The Pathway to
Personal Robots
- John Swope -
President, Swope Designs |
Many
people suspect we are on the verge of a mobile robotics
revolution. But people have been suggesting this for
decades. So far, mobile robotic technology has not
progressed anywhere near as fast as science fiction has
predicted. What’s going on? Why are modern robots so far
from Hollywood’s robots? Why are there so few
commercially successful consumer robots? What will it
take to get beyond this? This session delves into
several key technical challenges that the industry
faces, and proposes some steps to break through them.
John
Swope founded Swope Designs, Inc., a Product Design
Engineering & Consulting Company which has helped other
companies develop robotic products as well as introduce
its own robot –the BalBot, which is a fun autonomous
platform for the education and entertainment markets.
Swope Designs, Inc. specializes in the design,
prototyping, and testing of innovative
electro-mechanical devices ranging from entertainment
robots to Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for
military applications. Prior to starting SDI, John
served as a Hardware Design Engineer at Hewlett Packard,
and contributed at Intel Corporation, Lockheed Martin,
and Amulet Technologies.
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Thursday
October 6, 2005 |
Industry Development Program |
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October 6, 2005
1:00 |
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New Developments in Robot Technology
-
TBD -
Representative, Osaka
City Robot Laboratory |
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October 6, 2005 2:00 |
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Panel: Development Issues in Intelligent, Mobile
Robotics
- Neena Buck -
Vice President of Emerging Frontiers
Strategy Analytics |
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The
development of robots and robotic technology requires
the mastery of multiple disciplines – primarily software
development, mechanical and electrical engineering.
Robotics development is made even more difficult as it
is limited by embedded and real-time constraints. But
real-time concerns are only the beginning, especially as
robots and robotic technology become more prevalent in
the home, the workplace and in public places. The next
generation of robots and robotic devices must also be
integrated with other systems in their environment. For
both the hobbyist and professional developer, the choice
of operating systems, development tools, platform
software and hardware such as micro-controller and
sensors, and a myriad of other options must be
addressed. In this panel session, attendees will come to
understand the most pressing issues in robotics
development and learn about the products, tools and
techniques that can be used to overcome them.
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October 6, 2005
3:15 |
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Robotics Partnership
Opportunities in Japan
-
TBD -
Representative, Japan External Trade Organization |
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October 6, 2005
4:15 |
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Avoiding the Rut of Engineer-Think
- Dan Danknick -
Robotics Group Manager
Applied Minds, Inc. |
Things
move quickly today: technologies mature, economies swell
and people produce at levels that can drown anyone
trying to swim with the current. So how can creative
scientists stay in the race while still staying dry? By
breaking the patterns of problem solving that we grew up
with, and looking at things in new ways. In this
intriguing session, Dan Danknick, Robotics Group Manager
at Applied Minds and former technical editor of both
SERVO and Nuts & Volts Magazines will describe how to
apply new ways of thinking about engineering when
developing new classes of products, including personal
and service robotics.
Dan
Danknick is Robotics Group Manager for Applied Minds,
Los Angeles based company that invents, designs and
prototypes breakthrough products and services for both
industry and government. Prior to joining Applied Minds,
Dan was the technical editor of both SERVO and Nuts &
Volts Magazines. Previously, he worked for 13 years as
an embedded systems engineer, writing low-level
communication drivers and animatronics control code for
Walt Disney Imagineering. He holds 10 patents for his
work in industry and holds a degree in applied physics.
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Friday
October 7, 2005 |
Robotics Design, Development and
Standards Program |
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1:00 |
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Driving Robotics Integration Using XML Web Services
- Lloyd Spencer -
CEO, CoroWare |
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Driving
the rapid development and deployment of robotic
solutions will require distributed computing
technologies such as XML Web Services. XML Web Services
standards, which include SOAP, XML, and WSDL, provide a
high level of interoperability across platforms and
applications, letting customers solve integration
problems easily. In this session, CoroWare CEO Lloyd
Spencer will discuss the role of XML Web Services in the
development of interoperable robotic platforms and
applications, and the deployment of robotics integration
solutions such as automated security and manufacturing
LloydSpencer
is president and CEO of CoroWare, a systems and robotics
integrator founded in 2003. Lloyd has more than 20 years
of experience in the computer and networking industries
in engineering, product marketing, business development,
and sales management. His expertise spans a spectrum of
service provider industries and technologies, including
distributed network computing and embedded systems
hardware development. Previously, Lloyd has served as
vice president of marketing and sales at eQuest
Technologies; Solutions Unit manager at Microsoft; and
assistant vice president and business sector manager at
Newbridge Networks.
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October 7, 2005
2:00 |
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The Pros and Cons of a Distributed
Control Architecture
- Daniel Mannisto -
President, Machine Bus Corp. |
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The
control system is one of the most critical aspects of a
robotic machine. In this session, we will discuss the
benefits and drawbacks of control system designs that
use a distributed control architecture. Particular
emphasis will be placed on the impact design choice has
on the development, reliability, serviceability, and
performance of a robot. The process of selecting a
distributed control platform will also be covered in
detail. The session will end with an example that steps
through the full life cycle of a robotic machine -- from
design and development through its service in the field.
Dan
Mannisto is president of Machine Bus Corporation, a
manufacturer of control systems for robotic and
automated machinery. Mr. Mannisto has over 15 years of
design and implementation experience in applications
ranging from alpha particle detection to
financial-derivative clearing systems. His designs have
been implemented on tiny, 4-bit platforms and on highly
distributed, transaction-processing systems that span
around the globe.
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October 7, 2005
3:15 |
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Tools for Robot Integrators and Programmers
- William Kennedy -
Chief Technical Officer, MobileRobots |
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Gone
are the days when integrators and developers had to
start from scratch to build robotic applications.
Navigation software and robot APIs jump-start
development of professional robot applications. This
interactive session discusses and demonstrates standard
software techniques for customizing existing robot
applications and building new ones for a variety of
robot types.
William
Kennedy directs R&D, systems engineering, productization
and technical support teams at MobileRobots/ActivMedia
Robotics. As co-founder, Kennedy led the company since
start-up to build its current fleet of robotic systems.
Kennedy was introduced to robotics by Real World
Interface -- former Research Division of iRobot and
early collaborator in Pioneer robots – for whom he
quadrupled robot sales. Prior to co-founding
MobileRobots, Kennedy led A+ Publishing as
editor-in-chief, running ten publications, including
MacWorld. Following a teenage career in radio and TV
repair, Kennedy built his first automated embedded
system as a grad student, mechanizing a laboratory in
order to finish his PhD in 3 years instead of four.
Kennedy taught computing at Loyola University of Chicago
for two years. He first worked with Unix-like systems as
Senior Editor of SunWorld magazine. Kennedy is also
co-author of O'Reilly's HTML/XHTML: The Definitive
Guide, which has sold over ¾ million copies in 15
languages.
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October 7, 2005
4:15 |
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Standards
for Robotics Development
- Richard Soley -
Chairman
and CEO
Object Management Group |
There
is a tendency in "whiz bang" technology areas to assume
that standards are premature, as they stifle innovation.
Not only is this untrue - standards commoditize the
basic infrastructure of technology areas, pushing
innovation higher in the stack - but robotics is no
longer the bleeding edge. Developers want to be able to
ship applications on multiple robotics platforms;
likewise manufacturers want to maximize markets for
their equipment by leveraging a market of standardized,
portable, interoperable solutions. The Object Management
Group (OMG) has been bringing the commoditization
benefits of standards to technology areas for a decade
and a half, in financial, healthcare,
telecommunications, space systems, military and other
systems. In this session, Richard Soley, CEO of the
Object Management Group, will ongoing standards efforts
specifically designed for the robotics industry, as well
as the value it will bring to the robotics community.
As
Chairman and CEO, Dr. Richard Soley is responsible for
the vision and direction of the Object Management Group,
not-for-profit consortium that includes virtually every
large company in the computer industry, and hundreds of
smaller, that produces and maintains computer industry
specifications for interoperable applications. . Soley
joined the nascent OMG as Technical Director in 1989,
leading the development of OMG's world-leading
standardization process and the original CORBA®
specification. In 1996, he led the effort to move into
vertical market standards (starting with healthcare,
finance, telecommunications and manufacturing) and
modeling, leading first to the Unified Modeling Language
(UML®) and later the Model Driven Architecture (MDA®).
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Friday
October 7, 2005 |
Robotics
Education and Curriculum Development
Program |
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October 7, 2005
1:00 |
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Learning to Schedule, Organize, Write and Program
Through Robotics Education
- David Miller -
CTO, KISS Institute for
Practical Robotics
Wilkonson Chair Professor of Aerospace & Mechanical
Engineering at the University of Oklahoma |
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Everyone
knows that robotics involves various aspects of
engineering. But robotics is truly interdisciplinary and
can involve aspects of almost every subject. This talk
will discuss some of the often overlooked educational
benefits of working with robots such as reading and
organizational skills. The talk will show how these
benefits come about and how they are being emphasized in
programs such as Botball
David
P. Miller received his Ph.D. in computer science from
Yale University. He then led JPLs Robotic Intelligence
Group where he took a leading role in developing NASAs
micro-rover technology. His research is divided between
educational outreach and a new generation of space
robotics. He is currently the Wilkonson Chair Professor
of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering at the University
of Oklahoma and also holds the position of CTO at the
KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.
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October 7, 2005
2:00 |
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Robotics-Enhanced Computer Science Instruction
- Stewart Tansley -
Program Manager, Microsoft Research |
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We
face a crisis in the software industry: where are the
computer science students of tomorrow? There is a
shocking decline in attraction and retention of such
students at university level in the US. Our thesis is
that exciting applications such as robotics and computer
gaming can enhance the computer science curriculum,
raising attraction and retention figures, and bringing
other positive benefits in such areas as diversity and
quality of learning. This talk will focus on what we
have learned about robotics in education, what are the
challenges, and how we plan to work with academia to
take things forward.
Stewart
Tansley is responsible for Embedded Systems and Robotics
as part of External Research & Programs in Microsoft
Research. Before this, he worked on Microsoft's
production IPv6 software as part of the Windows
Networking team. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2001,
Stewart spent 13 years in the telecommunications
industry in various technical and management positions
in network software research and development, focusing
on technology transfer. Stewart has a Ph.D. in
Artificial Intelligence applied to Engineering from the
University of Technology, Loughborough, UK. He has
published a variety of papers in artificial intelligence
and network management, several patents, and co-authored
a book on software engineering for artificial
intelligence applications.
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October 7, 2005
3:15 |
|
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Autonomous Robotics: A Wonderful
Motivator in Science and
Engineering Education for All Ages
- CJ Chung -
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Lawrence
Technological University; Founder of Robofest |
|
Autonomous
robotics encompasses the rich nature of integrated
systems that include mechanical, electrical, and
computational components. The availability of smaller
and affordable hardware components have helped make it
possible for students to be involved in various robotics
projects in classes and in after school programs that
are aiming to improve students’ critical thinking
skills. These programs also support multi-disciplinary
and co-operative learning. There currently is an urgent
need to attract students to science and engineering
careers; in an effort to do this, there have been many
autonomous robot competitions for students of all ages,
from grade school to graduate school. Research oriented
competitions have also been organized to promote the
development of robotics technologies. As a result,
robotics is popular around the globe and robotics
competitions are providing benefits to students,
academia, industry, and society at large. This
presentation will address the current status of robotics
education, problems, and the ideal pedagogical model
involving robot competitions and robotics education.
CJ
Chung is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at
Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan.
His industrial experience includes Software Engineer at
Korea Electric Power Company, Senior Research Scientist
at Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute
in Korea; and Visiting Research Scientist at L.M.
Ericsson AB, Stockholm, Sweden. He has developed
self-adaptive systems motivated by cultural evolution
process that has been applied to various optimization
problems. His research interests include evolutionary
computation, evolutionary neural networks, evolutionary
neuro-fuzzy systems, formal methods for real-time
embedded systems, pervasive computing, and evolutionary
robotics. He has published over 28 refereed technical
articles in various journals and international
conference proceedings. Dr. Chung’s most recent
development has been an affordable laptop robotics
platform for his computer science classes. He is the
founder of the annual autonomous robotics contest,
Robofest (www.robofest.net). Dr. Chung is a member of
the International Robot Olympic Committee.
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October 7, 2005
4:15 |
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Incorporating Robotics in Educational Curricula
- Ken Berry -
Founder RoboEducators and
Assistant Professor, California State University |
During
this illuminating session designed for educators, and
business people who want to serve the education
community, Dr. Ken Berry will describe the often
misunderstood nature of formal and informal education
from elementary school to college. He will explain how
robots can be uniquely suited to each niche of formal
education. He will also describe why there is a growing
interest in robots for the classroom, and how businesses
can profit from the interest.
Robots have been in the classroom for 20 years! This may
surprise some. After all, only a few classrooms have
robots in them today. But the numbers are growing.
Science and mathematics teachers are currently being
pressured to include technology in the curriculum. Some
robotics platforms are ideal to fit that need. These are
exciting times for teachers who know how to incorporate
robots into the classroom curriculum. A wave of
opportunity is rapidly building. During this
presentation teachers will learn how to be a part of a
growing community of educators who use robots in the
classroom and business people will learn how to tap this
vast potential market.
Dr.
Ken Berry, is an Assistant Professor of educational
technology at California State University, Northridge.
He has been an educator for more than 15 years in public
schools throughout Los Angeles. He also served as an
education specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) where he developed the Mars Rover Project for
middle school students. He is also the founder of the
RoboEducators. RoboEducators is a nationwide network of
educators who share information on robotics, and support
each other in promoting robotics in the classroom
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Friday
October 7, 2005 |
Industry Development Program |
|
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1:00 |
|
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Opportunities for Agile
Robotics in Israel
- Bill Thomasmeyer -
President, Technology Collaborative |
|
Israel
pioneered the development of unmanned air vehicles 25
years ago! Attendees will hear how the Israeli Defense
Force (IDF) and the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMD)
are now committed to the use of Unmanned Ground Vehicles
(UGVs) for national defense and homeland security
applications. The IDF and the IMD are in the process of
acquiring and actively assessing U.S. platforms.
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October 7, 2005
2:00 |
|
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Standards in Action:
Prototype Robots at 2005 Aichi International Expo
-
Masayoshi Yokomachi -
Project
Coordinator,
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
Organization |
|
The
market for symbiotic robots, those robots that share the
same space with humans and operates autonomously based
on the general knowledge that humans possess, is
expected to exceed the existing market for industrial
robots. The technology incorporated in a symbiotic robot
centers around sophisticated information and
communications technology that enables intelligent
information processing. This technology, along with the
production of symbiotic robots, differs significantly
from the mechanical engineering used for an industrial
robot. In addition, the development and manufacturing
systems for a symbiotic robot must change from the
traditional integrated system to a modular system, as
modular systems can better promote the introduction of
advanced technology and encourage the participation of
new industry entrants. Thus, practical realization of a
symbiotic robot market will require the current
technology and manufacturing system paradigm to change.
In this presentation, trends in robotics and the future
direction of robotics in Japan, particularly as applied
to the development of symbiotic robots, will be
presented. Examples of prototype robots from the Aichi
International Exposition 2005, where 5,000 to 10,000
people a day visited the robots at the NEDO Robot
Station, will be used to demonstrate salient points.
Masayoshi
Yokomachi is in charge of the project coordination for
robotics related national projects for the Japanese
government organization New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization (NEDO). He formally
worked as principal manager for the development of
computer systems for Toyota, Nissan and Honda, as well
as Middleware system based on CORBA and BPR system etc.
for Nihon Unisys Ltd.
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October 7, 2005
3:15 |
|
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Robots as Integrated
Intelligence: Connecting Theory and Practice
-
Manuela Veloso -
Professor of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon Institute |
|
Artificial
Intelligence is a field composed of many subareas, but
it aims at the ultimate goal of understanding
intelligence in its integrality. I view robots as a
vehicle to study integrated intelligence. In this talk,
I will present how we have introduced a course to teach
the principles and practice of building a complete
intelligent robot with perception, cognition, and
action. We ground our robotics education in the research
that I pursue with my graduate students and many course
students engage in long term research after the course
ends.
Manuela
M. Veloso is Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie
Mellon University, where she performs research in the
area of artificial intelligence with focus on planning,
control learning, and execution for single and
multirobot teams. Her algorithms address uncertain,
dynamic, and adversarial environments. She has developed
teams of robot soccer agents, which have been RoboCup
world champions several times. She investigates learning
approaches to a variety of control problems, in
particular the performance optimization of algorithm
implementations, and plan recognition in complex data
sets. Professor Veloso is a Fellow of the American
Association of Artificial Intelligence, as well as Vice
President of the RoboCup International Federation. She
was awarded an NSF Career Award in 1995 and the Allen
Newell Medal for Excellence in Research in 1997.
Professor Veloso is Program Co-Chair of 2005 National
Conference on Artificial Intelligence and the Program
Chair of the 2007 International Joint Conference on
Artificial Intelligence.
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October 7, 2005
4:15 |
|
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New Trends in Sensor Enabled
Mobile Robotics
-
TBD - |
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Saturday
October 8, 2005 |
Consumer Expo
Sessions |
|
|
11:00 |
|
 |
Roomba Hacking 101
-
Phillip Torrone -
Associate Editor, MAKE Magazine |
|
The
world’s most ubiquitous home robot, the Roomba, just got
hackable. Phillip Torrone from MAKE Magazine, will
show how to turn the Roomba in to more than just a
vacuum cleaner. The session will showcase the
hacks, mods, robot projects and detailed technical
information on Roomba hacking.
Phillip
Torrone has co- authored and contributed to numerous
books on mobile devices, design and hardware hacking.
Phillip is contributing Editor for Popular Science and
currently resides in Seattle, WA. Phillip's latest work
can be found on http://www.makezine.com or his personal
site, filled with robots:
http://www.flashenabled.com.
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October 8, 2005
12:00 |
|
 |
Robots Are Where You Find Them: Converting a Radio Shack
"ZipZaps" into a Robot
-
Myke Predko -
Server and High Performance Systems,
Celestica |
|
One
of the barriers for people coming up with their own
mobile robots is the cost and effort to create a
suitable chassis. In this seminar, author Myke
Predko will discuss the issues of using different toy
and hobby remote control car chassis as the base for a
robot. To illustrate the concepts being discussed,
the conversion of a Radio Shack “ZipZaps” remote control
car into a mobile robot will be presented. This
robot can be assembled for as little as $10 over the
cost of a ZipZaps over the course of an afternoon.
Myke
Predko is responsible for server and high performance
system test at Celestica, Inc. He holds a BSEE from the
University of Waterloo. Living in Toronto Canada, he is
the author of 13 books, published by McGraw-Hill, on
different topics in electronics and engineering.
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October 8, 2005
1:00 |
|
 |
Homebrewed Robots!
- Camp Peavy -
Owner, Homebrewed Robots!, Program Chairperson, HomeBrew
Robotics Club and Co-founder: TABLEBot Challenge |
|
Come
hear about the three levels of machine intelligence and
discover the multi-disciplinary hobby that is homebrewed
robots! For Camp Peavy it all started with a book by
David L. Heiserman, “How to Build Your Own
Self-Programming Robot”. After years of wrestling with
this graduate level engineering course he eventually
applied Heiserman’s Alpha level “machine intelligence”
theory to a store-bought PC and is still working on
“Beta” and “Gamma” level experiments with his Burning
Man ARTBot, “Springy Thingy”.
Camp
Peavy has been building amateur robots for over 20
years. Highlights of his work include creating the 1996
autonomous Robot Wars champion “Gladiator Rodney” and
the award winning Burning Man ARTBot “Springy Thingy”.
In 2003 Peavy and others founded the HomeBrew Robotics
Club “TABLEBot Challenge” which is currently in its 3rd
year of "coopetition". Most recently he has produced an
open-source Stamp-based educational robot named
“PROTOBot” which will be featured in a future article of
SERVO magazine.
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October 8, 2005 2:00 |
|
 |
History of Robotics
- Dave Grossman
-
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|
Dave
Grossman has a PhD in Physics from Harvard and taught at
Princeton. He spent 25 years at IBM, in research and
management in AI and robotics. A co-inventor of using
software to calibrate robots, he pioneered robot
assembly of electronic cards, 2-arm robots with
collision avoidance, and 3D solid modeling. He also
worked on RoboDoc hip surgery and laparoscopic robotics.
After IBM, he worked at USC and co-founded a silicon
valley startup. Lately he has worked at Stanford on
modeling human anatomy, geometry, and physiology. He has
published 60 technical papers and lectured frequently on
the History of Robotics.
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October 8, 2005 3:00 |
|
 |
The Frankenstein Complex and Its Impact on Robotics
- Joanne Pransky
-
World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist |
|
What
is the Frankenstein Complex and what impact has this
science fiction phenomenon had on the evolution of
robotics? This informative and entertaining
presentation will explore the Frankenstein Complex, a
term derived from the famous science fiction works of
Mary Shelley and Isaac Asimov, and both its positive and
negative effects on the field of robotics. This session
will also address social issues such as mankind’s
responsibilities for its robot ‘children’, society’s
fear and acceptance of robots, and the human/robot
relationship.
Dubbed
by Isaac Asimov as the ‘real Susan Calvin’, Dr. Joanne
Pransky, the World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist, has
been a marketing pioneer in the robotics industry for
nearly 20 years. She was the senior sales and marketing
executive for a major industrial robot manufacturer, an
official judge on Comedy Central’s BattleBots, and is
currently an associate editor for Industrial Robot
Journal and the marketing manager for the newly launched
International Journal of Medical Robotics & Computer
Assisted Surgery.
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October 8, 2005
4:00 |
|
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Networked Robot Art
- Ken Goldberg -
Artist and Professor, Industrial Engineering and
Operations Research, and
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University
of California at Berkeley |
In
this illuminating session, Ken Goldberg will describe
how he has combined his passion for art and robotics to
deliver compelling and innovative artistic projects.
During the presentation, he will describe a series of
such artworks including the Telegarden, a robot that
allows users to view, plant and grow plants in a living
garden, Tele-Twister, a cyber version of the '60s party
game, a project that allow users to interact with a live
Ouija board and other projects based on state-of-the-art
in robotic Web cameras.
Ken
Goldberg is an artist and professor of engineering at UC
Berkeley. His work has been exhibited at the Walker Art
Center, Ars Electronica (Linz Austria), ZKM (Karlsruhe),
Venice Biennale, Pompidou Center (Paris), ICC Biennale
(Tokyo), Kwangju Biennale (Seoul), Artists Space, The
Kitchen, and the Whitney Biennial. He has also
held visiting positions at MIT Media Lab, Art Center
College of Design, and the San Francisco Art Institute.
Goldberg is Founding Director of UC Berkeley's popular
Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium, now in its
eighth year. Goldberg was awarded the National
Science Foundation Young Investigator Award in 1994, the
NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship in 1995, the Joseph
Engelberger Robotics Award in 2000, and the IEEE Major
Educational Innovation Award in 2001. He holds a PhD in
Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
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Sunday
October 9, 2005 |
Consumer Expo
Sessions |
|
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11:00 |
|
 |
Calculation and Chance in Robotic Art
- Max Chandler -
Artist |
|
This
lively, family friendly session features a multimedia
presentation and exhibition, Bay Area artist Max
Chandler will describe a novel use for robots and
robotic technology – creating art! See how robots and
the creative minds of humans can work together to create
works of art neither could create alone.
Originally
trained as an artist in the Far East, Max Chandler
worked in Bay Area software companies for many years. In
2004, he began exhibiting art made with robots, with
critical acclaim and press and television coverage.
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October 9, 2005
12:00 |
|
 |
Consumer, Hobby and Competition Robots: What’s
Available, What’s Coming
- David Calkins
-
President of the Robotics Society of America, Founder of
ROBOlympics |
|
What’s
the latest development in the consumer, hobby,
educational and competition robots market? In this
lively session designed for both children and adults
alike, attendees will be provided with an overview of
what is currently available in stores on and the Web
today, and what we can expect in the future. Hobbyist
robots, educational robotics products, as well as kits
for competition robots will be discussed. Join David
Calkins for a sneak peek at what's in stores and what's
in store for you.
David
Calkins is a widely respected robot builder and expert.
He teaches robotics and computer engineering at San
Francisco State University, is the president of the
Robotics Society of America, Founder of the
international ROBOlympics competition, Program Chair of
the RoboNexus Consumer and Entertainment Expo, and
co-chair of the RoboSot competition for FIRA - the
Federation of International Robosoccer Association.
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October 9, 2005
1:00 |
|
 |
Robotic
Soccer as a Teaching Tool
- Nanu Swamy -
Founder and Director of Technology, RoboTech Center |
|
Playing
Tag, Hide and Seek, and soccer have entertained children
for generations. Learning to program multiple robots to
play these games provides youth with an engaging and
entertaining challenge. In this session, attendees will
learn how Cooperative Mobile Robots, groups of
distributed autonomous agents that are capable of
working cooperatively in complex environments, can be
employed to transform traditional approaches of
education – turning education into entertainment.
Specific examples of programs introduced at RoboTech
Center that have transformed participants into ardent
robotic enthusiasts will be described.
Nanu
Swamy is an educational Entrepreneur and the
Founder/Director of Technology at RoboTech Center, a
robotics based educational center whose mission is to
find new tools and paradigms for learning. His
passion is to create and present fundamentally new
approaches to portray technology in simple, easy to
understand paradigms, which could be easily appropriated
by the younger generation. Prior to founding
RoboTech Center, he held echnical and managerial
positions at Micropolis Corporation, Singapore Airlines,
Sybase, GiantLoop Networks, Information Resources (a
division of Oracle) and OpenMarket (now Divine Systems).
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October 9, 2005
2:00 |
|
 |
Send in the Robots: What, Why,
When and How?
- Roger Gilbertson -
Founder and Director of Technology, RoboTech Center |
|
What
is it about robots that fascinates us so? What motivates
us to create them? Should we fear what we make? Join
Roger G. Gilbertson, award winning designer, robot
builder, founder of RobotStore.com, and past president
of the Robotics Society of America for a fast-paced
exploration of the possibilities and perils we may
discover on the robotics frontier.
Roger Gilbertson is President of Mondo-tronics Inc.,
award winning designer, robot builder, founder of
RobotStore.com, and past president of the Robotics
Society of America. His articles have appeared in
Nuts & Volts, Servo, and others. He has also performed
in theater, on television and given many public
presentation on technology, creativity and the future.
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October 9, 2005
3:00 |
|
 |
Passion, Planning, Perseverance: Keys to Successful
Robotics Competition
- Alan Federman
-
NASA Education's "Dr. Robot",
Senior
E-Protocol Specialist, Stanford University |
Since
1999, Alan Federman has been involved with several
National Champion robotics competition teams. During
that time he has found that while technical
expertise is certainly important, the personalities of
the team members and how they interact, is probably even
more important in determining the team's performance.
Successful teams are:
- Passionate - The team members are inspired to perform
at at high level.
- Planners - They sped a lot of time and effort on doing
the best they can.
- Persevering - They learn to triumph over adversity,
because they are experienced at it.
In this lively session, attendees will learn about how
technologies and personalities can be 'tuned' to create
willing robotics competitors.
Dr.
Alan Federman has been involved in competitive robotics
since 1999. He has mentored the FIRST National Champions
(2000), Botball National Champions (2001), FIRST
Chairman's Award Winner (2004) FIRST National Finalists
(2005). From 1999 to 2005 he worked for NASA's Robotics
Education Project, and still answers questions as "Dr.
Bot" for the REP website. Dr. Bot has also been a judge
on the "Battlebots" TV show. According to Alan, he never
made a bad call, but occasionally got outvoted by those
"other guys."
|
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RoboNexus Product Spotlight Sessions
Running Each Day on the RoboNexus Exposition Floor
Friday, October 7 - Sunday, October 9, 2005 |
|
|
11:15 |
|
 |
The Role of Integrated Servo
Technology in Remote Vehicle and Mobile Robotics
- Robert Bigler -
CEO, Animatics Corporation |
|
Robert
Bigler, founder of Animatics Corporation, the world
leader in Integrated Servo Technology will show why
servomotors with all of the control and drive
electronics built into the motors themselves are gaining
such rapid acceptance in remote vehicle and mobile
robotics applications. |
|
|
12:00 |
|
 |
Biological Inspiration for
Advanced Robotic Technology
- Tony Lewis -
President and CEO, Iguana Robotics |
|
Biomorphic
Technology derives principles from biological systems.
Iguana Robotics is a world leader in the development of
biomorphic engineering technology. During this
presentation, Tony Lewis, President and CEO of Iguana
Robotics, will give examples of cutting edge biomorphic
technology including the new "SlugBug" robot, the first
commercially available robot to use brain-like circuits
to compute behavior.
|
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12:45 |
|
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Applications and Opportunities for Service Robotics
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