There are many reasons to be excited for this year’s Robotics Summit & Expo, which will be held on June 5-6 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. The event offers more opportunities for developers of commercial robots to learn from industry leaders, meet their peers, and get a glimpse at innovative approaches and products.

Here are just some of the events and speakers we’re looking forward to:

Looking ahead to the next big things in robotics and AI

Big companies have been working for years now on robotics, autonomous systems, and machine learning, but only now are they coming together for intelligent machines.

Learn from keynotes on artificial intelligence, the cloud, human-machine interaction, the Internet of Things, and 5G. Industry luminaries from Amazon Web Services, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm, among others, will share their insights on these emerging technologies.

For instance, Microsoft’s Lou Amadio and Cyra Richardson will talk about how IoT can be transformative for commercial robotics suppliers and users. Microsoft last week announced its support of the Robot Operating System (ROS) for Windows 10.

Fetch Robotics’ Russell Toris will focus on the importance of a semantic understanding of the environment and avoiding over-optimization of movement in “Sole Agent Syndrome and Machine Learning for Human-Like Behavior.”

Brain Corp.’s Di Le and Hamid Badiozamani will be describing the importance of the user experience for robotics and AI. This is necessary for taking robots from collaborators to true augmenters of human capabilities in different industries.

Also, Roland Angst, head of the Robotics and AI Center at ASUS, will discuss the connection between robotics and AI in the development of the Zenbo service robot. Social, household, and consumer robots have struggled to come to market, and Angst will examine the challenges they face.

UC San Diego’s Henrik Christensen, who led the development of the U.S. National Robotics Roadmap, will share his expectations for robotics in 2020.

Tools and techniques for robotics engineers

The day before the summit begins, you can participate in the hands-on workshop at AWS RoboMaker Immersion Day. Learn how to use RoboMaker directly from Amazon Web Services.

If you’re interested in using the Robot Operating System, the Gazebo simulator, and the cloud to make benchmarking and testing easier, check out The Construct’s Ricardo Tellez’s session on “Using ROS for Reproducible Robotics Results.”

On the hardware side, Onshape’s Bradley Sauln will explain “Challenges for the Modern Robotics Designer” and how CAD is just the beginning of processes involving real-time collaboration and feedback.

Motion controllers are getting smaller, but how is that good for robotics development? Elmo Motion Control‘s Brian Mason will explain in “Complete Motion-Control System in the Palm of Your Hand.”

Speaking of miniaturization, in his look at the “inside-to-outside” design approach, maxon precision motors’ Carsten Horn will talk about off-the-shelf technologies, best practices, and other factors.

The panelists in the “Transitioning Robots From Design to Production” session will share their experiences in making the leap to commercialization. Executives from Ascend Robotics, Ava Robotics, Cirtronics, and Endeavor Robotics will compare notes on serving different markets and how to find cost-effective manufacturing.

There’s also the Future of Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering (FoMRE) workshop, which is co-located with the Robotics Summit & Expo, as is DeviceTalks Boston for medical devices.

Keynotes | Speakers | Exhibitors | Register

Designing for market success

“Know thy users” is a common enough mantra in robotics circles, but identifying and serving their needs isn’t always easy. This year’s Robotics Summit looks at protecting your intellectual property, working within robotics clusters, safety standards, and more.

The U.S. Department of Defense is a major robotics supporter, but how do you move to commercial customers? Parag Batavia, president of the Neya Systems Division at Applied Research Associates, will describe the business model to do so.

There’s no “one size fits all” solution for autonomous guided vehicles, notes Humatics CEO David Mindell. His session on “The Growing Pains of AGV Navigation” will examine how different sensors and micro-location products can work in real-world environments.

Our panel on “Robotics-as-a-Service Business Models” will provide examples of how RaaS can speed adoption, assuage risk aversion, and create a sustainable business.

In addition, you don’t want to miss the 70+ exhibitors, MassRobotics’ Robotics Engineering Career Fair, and networking events such as BotMix! Register now for the Robotics Summit & Expo 2019!