RoboBusiness 2009 A Success; Showcases Growth Opportunities Across Robotics Sectors

Emerging Technologies and Business Opportunities Featured at Sixth Annual International Robotics Business Development Event

Framingham, Mass. – April 23, 2009 – Robotics Trends and EH Publishing today announced the success of the sixth annual RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition (http://www.robobusiness.com), which was held April 15-16, 2009 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Produced by Robotics Trends, a division of EH Publishing, Inc., RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition is the international business development event for the mobile robotics and intelligent systems industry.

According to Dan Kara, conference chairman and President of Robotics Trends, “The continued success of the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition speaks volumes about the reputation of the event, along with the quality of the RoboBusiness attendees and the sponsors themselves. It is also a reflection of a growing market, one where mobile robotics and intelligent systems are moving out of the laboratory and early adopter segments, and into mainstream markets.”

Event Sponsors
The RoboBusiness 2009 event sponsors included: Founding Sponsor - iRobot; Premier Sponsor - The Technology Collaborative; Silver Sponsors - ADVANCED Motion Controls, AnthroTronix, Braintech, Inc., CCS Robotics, DeVivo AST, Inc., DMP Electronic Inc., Elmo Motion Control, Energid, Evolution Robotics, Foster-Miller, GEMCITY Engineering & Manufacturing, Hagisonic, Hokuyo, Holland and Knight, LLP, LeCroy Corporation, Microsoft, Quanser, RE2, RoboSoft, Schunk, Sentek Solutions, SRI International, threeRivers, Versalogic Corp; Association Sponsors - AUVSI, Beacon, CIMIT, Mass Technology Leadership Council, Object Management Group (OMG). Academic Sponsors - Robert Morris University, Tufts Center for Engineering Education & Outreach, WPI; Media Co-Sponsors - Circuit Cellar, Nuts and Volts, Servo, Mass High Tech, Robotics Business Review, Robot Magazine, Xconomy.

An International Audience
700 professionals representing leading robotics organizations, the business and investment community, members of academia, government officials, and top media channels participated in the 2009 RoboBusiness event. Conference attendees represented more than a dozen countries around the globe including Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Seven Keynote Presentations Offered Ground-Breaking Information
Attendees gained inspiration from seven exclusive keynote presentations from leaders in personal, service and mobile robotics worldwide:

• "Personal Robotics: Getting Some Perspective" presented by Tandy Trower, General Manager of Microsoft
• “How Robots Make War More Survivable” presented by Vice Admiral Joseph W. Dyer (US Navy, Ret.), President, Government & Industrial Robots Division at iRobot
• “Oases for Life in Distant Oceans - Robotic Exploration on Earth and Beyond” presented by Christopher German, Chief Scientist for Deep Submergence at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• "The Next Generation of Smart Robots" presented by Paolo Pirjanian, President and CEO of Evolution Robotics
• "Industrial Mobile Robotics" presented by Scott Friedman, CEO of Seegrid Corporation
• “Networked Controlled Robots” presented by Daniela Rus, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Associate Director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
• “Key Business Development and Investment Opportunities in the Robotics and Intelligent Systems Industry” presented by Dan Kara, President of Robotics Trends

Additionally, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick delivered a video welcome message followed by Opening Remarks from the Secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Greg Bialecki. Bialecki discussed the rapidly emerging robotics industry, with an emphasis on the Bay State’s position as the leading center of robotics innovation in North America.

Exclusive Conference Sessions Presented Real-World Information
Over 30 sessions presented exclusive content to hundreds of professionals on today’s most critical robotics issues. Topics included: Business Development and Investment; Technology and Standards; Security, Defense, and First Responders Robotics; Autonomy and Mobility; RoboMedicus / Healthcare Robotics; and Consumer Robotics.

Two-Day Exposition Featured Emerging Robotics
Attendees had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with dozens of pioneering companies representing leading robotics solutions providers and researchers from around the world. Exhibitors showcased emerging products, technologies, services and market opportunities, including:

• Barrett Technology’s highly dexterous robotic WAM™ Arm
• Security and healthcare robots by CCS Robotics
• QNA/Foster-Miller’s TALON® Robots
• Robosoft’s robuLAB10, a compact and fast mobile robot that patrols the hallways in hospitals and eldercare facilities
• Gravity-defying electroadhesive robots, precision telesurgery, and multi-platform mapping and navigation software by SRI International
• The first public introduction of Segway’s firefighting robot, a four-wheeled robot which connects to a firehose and can extinguish fires through a rotating nozzle
• Advanced robotic technology for the miliatary including Foster-Miller’s SWORDS robot, which carries a machine gun and enables soldiers to safely engage in remote-controlled battles

Response from exhibiting companies has been positive. Professor Michael A. Gennert, Computer Science Department Head and Robotics Engineering Program Director at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) commented, "The speakers were excellent and the opportunities to network were unparalleled. I have more follow-up from RoboBusiness 2009 than my previous three conferences/conventions combined."

Special Events for Networking Opportunities
Several special events throughout RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition 2009 allowed for networking among hundreds of professionals who are moving the personal, service and mobile robotics industry forward.

• Speaker Meet & Greet on Tuesday evening, April 14: Dozens of Conference attendees, speakers and members of the media had the opportunity to meet and networking before the start of the event
• Evening Networking Reception on Wednesday, April 15: Conference attendees, speakers, exhibiting companies, and members of the media enjoyed a cocktail reception sponsored by iRobot
• Birds-of-a-Feather Discussions on Wednesday, April 15: Conference attendees engaged in intimate, peer-to-peer roundtable conversations covering some of the most important robotics issues

About Robotics Trends, Inc.
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 two major business divisions:

• Robotics Trends Publishing, which produces http://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; and Robotics Business Review http://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com, a subscription media product providing primary research, analysis and market observations for the robotics and intelligent systems industries.
• Robotics Trends Events, which produces the RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition (http://www.robodevelopment.com), RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition (http://www.robobusiness.com) and the RoboNexus Conference and Exposition.

About EH Publishing
EH Publishing, Inc. is the information leader and resource for the home electronic industry. Serving the technology and construction markets, EH Publishing, Inc. reaches more than half a million home electronic professionals, builders and consumers worldwide. Founded in 1994, EH Publishing, Inc. has defined, cultivated and raised awareness of the $15 billion electronic/installed home industry through its products, which include print publications, on-line publications, trade shows and market studies. EH Publishing, Inc. is the industry's source for home technology information and market analysis, with the targeted print and on-line publications: Electronic House, Home Electronic Ideas, CE Pro, CE Pro Retailing, ChannelPro, TecHome Builder, Live Sound, and targeted tradeshows: Electronic House Expo (EHX), Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX), RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition, and RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition. To find out more, visit http://www.ehpub.com.  

Contact
For further information, contact Dan Kara at 508-663-1500 x329 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
 
For sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, contact Ellen Cotton at 508-663-1500 x240 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
 
For media inquiries, contact Jessica Camerato at 508-663-1500 x296 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
 
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