Wednesday, November 2
9:30 am - 10:10 am
Keynote
Presented by: Colin Angle, CEO and Co-Founder, iRobot
Understanding needs of customers rather than coolness of the technology is pivotal to the success of the robotics industry. Today, millions of dollars are spent on making cool robotics demonstrations, but very little on solving high value needs of businesses and consumers. In this session, Colin Angle will provide true to life examples of ...more
10:15 am - 10:55 am
Keynote
Presented by: James Overholt, Senior Research Scientist in Robotics, U.S. Army TARDEC (Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center)
The U.S. DOD is committed to using robotics to perform tasks deemed "dull, dirty or dangerous". These applications range from state-side logistics to direct battlefield support. Dr. Overholt will share insights of the robotics technology being developed by the U.S. Army, as well as, a collaborative approach to research and development. ...more
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Keynote
Presented by: Paul Copioli, President, VEX Robotics
This session will discuss the importance and role of robotics in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and why the robotics industry, among others, should be supporting programs that engage youth through robotics and how to get involved.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Keynote
Presented by: Dan Kara, Conference Chair, Robo Business Leadership Summit
Advancements in robotics technology in the form of software, sensors, microprocessors, micromechanics and microelectronics, coupled with the economics of volume production, now make it possible to develop wholly new, low-cost, highly functional robotic products and robotically enhance existing product lines. As a result, businesses across ...more
1:30 pm - 2:10 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Steve Ohler, Senior Vice President - US Office, Jetta Company Limited
In this session, Steve Ohler, Jetta's US based Senior Vice President, will discuss the strategies and benefits of outsourcing design and manufacturing of robotic products/technology, and strategies for ensuring success with real world examples. Successful strategies will be discuss based on Mr. Ohler's ODM/OEM experience with contract ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Samuel Bouchard, President and CEO, Robotiq
Presented by: Erik Nieves, Director, Technology Advancement Team, Yaskawa America - Motoman Robotics Division
Presented by: David Askey, Chief Business Development Officer, Energid
Presented by: Karl Meier, Marketing Manager, ADVANCED Motion Controls
Manipulation, the ability of robotic systems to interact with and effect their environment, distinguishes robotics technology from other types of computerized or automated systems. It is manipulation and grasping capabilities that have allowed robotics systems to find great success in manufacturing, exploration, inspection, surgery and ...more
2:15 pm - 2:55 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Kevin Kalb, , JETRO Chicago
Presented by: Alan Fisher, Assistant Manager, Global Business Planning Dept., FUJISOFT INCORPORATED
Presented by: Marek Michalowski, President and Co-Founder, BeatBots LLC
Robotics developers face a variety of challenges and opportunities in search of growth and expansion. Important among them are opportunities to partner with others through technology transfer arrangements and strategic partnerships. these arrangements have the potential to infuse rapid growth into robotics firms, however before a firm ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Regis Vincent, Senior Computer Scientist, SRI International
The distinct and measureable benefits conferred by the addition of autonomous behavior to robotics systems present opportunities for solution providers and investors serving many different markets. But it is the overall inevitability and pervasiveness of autonomy, in both robotics and non-robotic systems, which makes autonomy a truly ...more
3:25 pm - 4:05 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Linda Thayer, Attorney, IP Specialist , Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
Robotics is a fast changing, highly competitive industry where success is dependent on the development of proprietary technology, as well as the intellectual abilities of employees. For fast paced technology companies, intellectual property (IP) and intellectual capitol are the keys to revenue generation and economic growth, and therefore, ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: John Dulchinos, CEO, Adept Technology
One of the leading macro trends in the robotics industry, and one of the most promising areas of opportunity for commercial development and investment, involves the use of mobile robots in unstructured environments populated by humans. Such systems must support exhibit complex functionality and possess a number of unique qualities ...more
4:10 pm - 4:50 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Roland Menassa, Group Manager – Manufacturing Flexibility and Advanced Robotics, General Motors Research and Development
General Motors and NASA have partnered under a cooperative agreement to develop a robotic assistant that can work in harmony with humans. That robot - Robonaut2 (R2) – is designed to work safely in close proximity to humans while assisting with useful tasks. By increasing the level of collaborative human-robot interaction in a ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Joseph Jones, CTO, Harvest Automation
Presented by: Patrick Rowe, VP of Research and Development, RE2, Inc.
Presented by: Jason Zielke, President/COO, Precise Path Robotics
Presented by: Erin Rapacki, Product Marketing Manager – Mobile Robots, Adept Technology
Presented by: Karl Meier, Marketing Manager, ADVANCED Motion Controls
Although robotics technology in the various classes of commercial, consumer and military robotics systems can differ radically from each other, their areas of commonality greatly outnumber their dissimilarities. This is also true of the technical challenges that must be overcome for systems to succeed in their respective markets. For ...more
Thursday, November 3
9:05 am - 9:45 am
Keynote
Presented by: John Reid, Director, Product Technology and Innovation, John Deere
Technology Innovation has significantly driven agricultural systems productivity over the last hundred years, primarily through agricultural mechanization. Despite great successes, the next generations will need to achieve significantly greater increases in agricultural systems productivity to meet the global food demand to feed 9 billion ...more
9:50 am - 10:30 am
Keynote
Presented by: Aldo Zini, President & CEO, Aethon
Generally speaking, the value proposition around autonomous mobile robots is not clear to the business world. While industrial, surgical, and military robotics has gained acceptance with practical applications that save costs or lives, the same is not true with autonomous mobile robotics. There are some emerging mobile robotic platforms ...more
10:35 am - 11:15 am
Keynote
Presented by: Claus Risager, Head of Centre, Danish Technological Institute, Centre for Robot Technology
Denmark is very much focused on introducing robotic technologies for eldercare, education and other domains of publicly delivered services. In fact, the Ministry of Finance invests approximately $600 million USD into robots and robotic technology, an extraordinary figure given that Denmark is a country with only 5 million citizens. This ...more
11:45 am - 12:45 pm
Keynote
Presented by: Bill Thomasmeyer, Executive Director, The Robotics Technology Consortium
In this enlightening session, Bill Thomasmeyer, Executive Director at The Robotics Technology Consortium, a non-profit industry organization formed to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the US Department of Defense and other government organizations, will provide updates on a number of major legislative and ...more
1:15 pm - 1:55 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Rod Brooks, Founder, Chairman and CTO, Heartland Robotics
Venture capital has played a role in the formation of many new industries, and the next generation of robotics is no exception. Join us for an intimate discussion between the founder of several game-changing robotics companies (including iRobot and Heartland Robotics) and a venture capitalist with nearly three decades of experience ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Lauro Ojeda, Chief Engineer, Microinfinity, CO. LTD.
Presented by: Michael Gennert, Director of Robotics Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Presented by: Jeff Wuendry, Product Marketing Manager, SICK, Inc.
Presented by: Mark Ingebretsen, , Robotics Trends
Increasingly, robots and robotic technology, ranging from unmanned ground systems and healthcare robots to other forms of service robots, are required to perform tasks in dynamic, unstructured environments, often populated with humans. For robots to operate in changing, obstacle filled surroundings, they will require new classes of ...more
2:00 pm - 2:40 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Charles Grinnell, CEO, Harvest Automation
Presented by: Mick Mountz, CEO and Founder, Kiva Systems
Presented by: Deborah Theobald, CEO, Vecna Technologies
Presented by: Hiawatha Bray, Technology Reporter, Boston Globe
The past few years have witnessed major breakthroughs and dramatic cost reductions in robotics enabling technology with the result that there has been a dramatic increase in the use of robotics around the globe. The resounding success of the older industrial robotics market, along with the first generation of military, medical, and ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Odest Chadwicke (Chad) Jenkins, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Brown Univerity
Presented by: Ryan Gariepy, Co-Founder and CTO, Clearpath Robotics
Presented by: Lloyd Spencer, President and CEO, CoroWare
Many robotics technologies available today are based on an open source software development and distribution model where the source code is freely available subject to the terms of a licensing agreement. The open source approach has many merits particularly for robotics development, the least of which is the number of tools, libraries, ...more
3:10 pm - 3:50 pm
Business Development & Investment
Presented by: Rod Brooks, Founder, Chairman and CTO, Heartland Robotics
Presented by: Stan Reiss, General Partner, Matrix Partners
Presented by: Dina Routhier, Vice President, Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation
Presented by: Jan Westerhues, Investment Principal, Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH
Widely publicized examples of robotics companies securing seed stage and additional rounds of funding demonstrate that capitol for funding robotics start-ups is available and is being deployed. Still, traditional investment criteria remain and are often more demanding than for other types of business and technology start-ups. These include ...more
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Alexandra Dopplinger, Global Marketing Manager, Robotics & Factory Automation, Freescale Semiconductor
Presented by: James Hunt, CEO, Aicas, Inc.
Presented by: Bill Crow, Principal Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Presented by: Mikell Taylor, System Engineer, Bluefin Robotics
It is typical that the diffusion of technological innovation begins in defense programs, followed by other critical application areas such as space exploration and in medical systems, before reaching critical mass and being widely dispersed to the world at large. Cost is usually the preeminent determining factor for the rate and degree of ...more
3:55 pm - 4:35 pm
Business Development & Investment
More Information Coming Soon!
Advanced Capabilities and Emerging Technologies
Presented by: Fanny Mlinarsky, President and CTO, octoScope, Inc.
Robots, particularly mobile robots, regularly employ wireless technology and interfaces (including GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc.) for control and operation. The use of multiple radio frequencies is not uncommon. These same systems frequently run mission-critical application under very hostile conditions, often in the ...more
