Meet the Robotics Summit & Expo keynote speakers

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The Robotics Summit & Expo, produced by The Robot Report, has announced the keynote lineup for the May 10-11 event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The Robotics Summit is the world’s leading event focused on the design and development of commercial robots.

Click here to see the Robotics Summit speaker lineup. Registration for the Robotics Summit is also open. Register by March 9 to take advantage of the early bird price of $395 for full-conference passes. Academic registration is $295 and expo-only passes are just $75. Discounted group rates are available. Email [email protected] for more information.

You can also check out the agenda here and the expo floor here. 

Robotics Summit & Expo Keynotes

Idea to Reality: Commercializing Robotics Technologies

Howie Choset, Professor of Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University
May 10: 8:45 AM – 9:30 AM

Turning a technology developed inside a lab into a successful robotics company is no easy task. Howie Choset has done this several times with companies such as Medrobotics (surgical robots), Hebi Robotics (modular robots) and Bito Robotics (robot software). Choset will share insights about the robotics startups he founded and best practices for taking technological innovation from an idea to reality.

Inside Motional’s Autonomous Vehicle Journey

Laura Major, CTO, Motional
May 10: 10:45 AM – 11:30 AM

Laura Major will detail the major technical challenges involved with developing autonomous vehicles. She will also provide updates on recent deployments and what the future holds for autonomous vehicles. Motional and Uber recently launched their public robotaxi service in Las Vegas.

Developing Robots for Final Frontiers

Nicolaus Radford, Founder & CEO, Nauticus Robotics
May 11: 9 AM – 9:45 AM

Space is commonly referred to as the “final frontier.” But Nicolaus Radford and the team at Nauticus Robotics believe the world’s oceans are of the utmost near-term priority (and largely unexplored) final frontier. Founded by former NASA engineers, Nauticus is leading the way by developing novel ocean robotic platforms for unprecedented ways of working in and exploring the aquatic domain, while challenging the less-than-desirable and archaic paradigm of the legacy industry. The company’s vision is to become the most impactful ocean robotics company and to disrupt the current ocean services paradigm through the integration of autonomous robotic technologies. The deep sea is vast, full of potential, and yet remains largely as uncharted as space itself – and Nauticus is at the forefront of unlocking its possibilities.

This keynote will chart Radford’s journey from developing humanoid robotics for space and leveraging that experience to form Nauticus and its revolutionary ocean robotics portfolio. His work at NASA heavily influenced the advancements at Nauticus as the company develops robots capable of aiding in national security, repairing oil pipelines, and inspecting windfarms — all while significantly reducing emissions and hazards to human counterparts. During his keynote, Radford will provide insights about both environments, discuss the business and technology of Nauticus’ current work and explain his vision for the future of ocean technology and robotics.

The Future of Surgical Robotics

Martin Buehler, Global Head of Robotics R&D, Johnson & Johnson MedTech
May 11: 10 AM – 10:45 AM

Johnson & Johnson, one of the world’s leading healthcare companies, gives an inside look at the end-to-end development of its Monarch and Ottava robotics platforms, as well as strategy and innovation cadence across surgical robotics for MedTech.

The Next Decade in Robotics

Marc Raibert, Executive Director, The AI Institute
May 11: 4 PM – 4:45 PM

This fireside chat with Marc Raibert will discuss opportunities for the robotics industry and the most important and difficult challenges facing the creation of advanced robots. It will also describe how the new Boston Dynamics AI Institute is pushing the limits of technological innovation to solve these challenges.

Sponsorship Opportunities

For information about Robotics Summit & Expo sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please download the prospectus and/or contact Colleen Sepich at [email protected]