Interesting things in robotics this week - Issue #4
7/20/21 - Society, Robots and Us - Inclusive Robotics Discussion Groups - https://societyrobotsandus.eventbrite.com
7/21/21 - Online Robotics Job Fair - promote your jobs! - https://onlineroboticsjobfair.eventbrite.com
It was a great Bots&Beverages on 7/8/21 in celebration of National Robotics Week with two hours of robot demos from commercial humanoids to cool student projects. (Recording available on our youtube channel later this month.) We also celebrated with an Inclusive Robotics Unconference on Sat April 10th where participants took a deep dive into inclusivity issues and proposed some actionable solutions. We'll continue the discussion in our next Tuesday night Society, Robots and Us.
We're also amplifying our Job Fair with promotion of your vacancies on social media. Post your jobs on SVRobo.org/robojobs. This is free for SVR members - as is presentation table at our Online Robotics Job Fair. We also kicked off the first in our monthly advanced manufacturing and logistics forums with special guest Ryan Kelly from the Association for Manufacturing Technologies Innovation Lab.
Also, I'll be speaking in Encumex Logistics World Web Summit on Wednesday April 14 and spoke last week in Universitat di Gerona Robotics Hub, about robots for science and conservation efforts.
ROS Industrial Annual Online Conference
including
Tuesday - Engage with others interested end-users, OEMs, solution providers and researchers on open source, interoperable, agile software capabilities. Refine the strategy for how ROS-I capability is shaped, in particular with regards to the latest developments around ROS2, and how the transition to ROS2 is progressing in the industrial community.
Wednesday - Member Only Day - Driving conversations around moving forward with industry use of ROS and ROS2 and how the ROS-I Open-Source project can continue to address member needs.
Thursday - a series of demonstrations from various labs/work spaces across the ROS-I member community. Featuring Demonstrations by:
https://rosindustrial.org/events/2020/ros-industrial-consortium-americas-2021-annual-meeting
DOE CONNECTOR PRIZE TARGETS ROBOTICS
Silicon Valley Robotics is pleased to announce that we are a Connector organization for the E-ROBOT Prize, and other DOE competitions on the American-Made Network. There is $2 million USD available in up to ten prizes for Phase One of the E-ROBOT Prize, and $10 million USD available in Phase Two. Individuals or teams can […] https://network.americanmadechallenges.org/
Upcoming E-ROBOT Events: Learn about building retrofits, expand your team, and get last-minute help with your submission! https://www.herox.com/EROBOT/update/3902
BUILDING RETROFIT TECHNOLOGY SCALING OPPORTUNITIES & TRENDS WEBINAR (April 15)
Please join us on a panel discussion with a group of building experts from NREL, RMI, GTI Energy, AEA, and ADL Ventures on the topic of Building Retrofit Technology Scaling Opportunities & Trends on April 15th, 13:00 -14:00 EST. The moderator of the event will be Diana Fisler, Principal & Building Material Consultant at ADL Ventures. The speakers of the event include:
Amy Egerter, Manager, Carbon-free Buildings, RMI
Brett Webster, Manager, Carbon-free buildings, RMI
Jason LaFleur, Sr. Program Manager, GTI Energy
Marcus Bianchi, Sr. Building Energy Research Engineer, NREL
Meghan Duff, Sr. Associate, R&D projects at AEA
RSVP today at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r1KKSktjRCmzDPWrYO0Q6A
ASME Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance Summit
ASME’s Robotics for Inspection & Maintenance Summit offers a unique combination of live demonstrations, case studies, and expert discussions that will help businesses optimize inspection, maintenance, and repair while improving safety and lowering costs. https://event.asme.org/Robotics
WearRAcon 2021 Virtual
Join us online for WearRAcon 21 Virtual as we bring together wearable robotics professionals and entrepreneurs from academia, government, industry, and medical/rehab.
The event features the Innovation Challenge, online exoskeleton demos, virtual marketplace and more than 15 sessions in the following areas:
• AR/VR (medical and industrial applications)
• Industry (automotive and logistics forums)
• Medical/Rehab
• Military
• Standards/Insurance
http://www.wearablerobotics.com/wearracon-21-registration/
World of Drones and Robotics Congress 2021
WoDaRC will again be presented as a live physical congress for those who can attend with virtual options for those who cannot. 2021 sees WoDaRC take on a new format with shorter sessions, a broader cross-section of topics and greater opportunity for submitted presentations.
Exhibitors now have the option of lower-cost display “pods” in a new exhibition area which will include networking spaces and food service. Virtual exhibits will also be available. Attend, network, speak, exhibit or watch WoDaRC in the manner that best suits you.
https://www.worldofdrones.com.au/
Power Grab: Warehouse Robots Take Materials Handling To Next Level
An overview of many of the newest logistics robots. https://www.forbes.com/sites/richblake1/2021/04/01/power-grab-warehouse-robots-take-materials-handling-to-next-level/
* Locus Robotics raised $150m in February 2021 at a $1 Billion valuation.
The US is falling behind in robotics funding according to many
The Department of Defense funded early robotics technology. But, for world-class mega-corporations, bigger than many nation states, a friendly relationship may now be a liability.
https://mindmatters.ai/2021/04/has-the-united-states-lost-silicon-valley/
Apple's Tim Cook says the challenge for self-driving cars is the software, not the hardware
Cook continued, “The autonomy itself is a core technology, in my view. If you sort of step back, the car, in a lot of ways, is a robot. An autonomous car is a robot. And so there’s lots of things you can do with autonomy. And we’ll see what Apple does.” https://www.thedrive.com/tech/40062/an-autonomous-car-is-a-robot-apples-tim-cook-on-apple-car-plans
CES Smart Kitchen Showcase
CTA projects that smart home appliance revenue will reach $7 billion in 2021, and $8.4 billion by 2024. And nearly 9.1 million smart appliances will ship in the U.S. this year, expected to jump to 11.4 million by 2024, CTA says. https://www.cta.tech/Resources/i3-Magazine/i3-Issues/2021/March-April/The-Smarter-Kitchen
Meet the Semifinalists of the $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE
Avatar technology will transport our sense of presence for everything from critical care to tourism. It’s time to stretch the boundaries of what it means to be human. Meet the $10M ANA Avatar @XPRIZE semifinalists; 38 teams from 16 countries expanding our potential. https://bit.ly/3dFPRVf
The Final Report ... on AI&Robotics
A new report (link to summary) from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence urges the federal government to dramatically scale up its spending on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to tens of billions of dollars annually.
Ford expands robotics research into $75million University of Michigan facility
Scientists create living robots that have memories with frog cells
Good reading this week is Carla Diane's just released book...
My Robot Gets Me: How Social Design Can Make New Products More Human
