MassRobotics Robot Block Party to celebrate STEM Week

MassRobotics‘ 3rd Annual Robot Block Party takes place in Boston’s Seaport Innovation District on Sunday, October 20, 2019. The event celebrates Massachusetts STEM Week and is designed for families, professionals and students to check out the awesome robots and experience the latest in the robotics industry.

The Robot Block Party is a free event and open to the public from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at 11 Drydock Avenue, Boston, Mass. (Design Center stop on the Silver Line). Along with dozens of robots, there will be music, food trucks and special guests.

“The Block Party provides the opportunity to experience the best that the Massachusetts robotics community has to offer,” said Carolyn Kirk, executive director of the MassTech Collaborative, a public economic development agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “We’re pleased to sponsor this event as part of Massachusetts STEM Week 2019, a statewide celebration aimed at encouraging children across the Commonwealth to get involved in tech-focused careers. The Block Party is a perfect way for Massachusetts residents to meet the cutting-edge robotics firms in our state and to see the innovators that make this technology possible.”

Expanding upon popular activities from the last two years, including robot demonstrations, presentations from area robotics companies and universities, hands-on interactions with robots, games and more – 2019 will be even bigger. Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Check out personal home robots, from companion to cleaning and weeding robots
• “Design your own robot” using software design tools, making the process of creating robots accessible to beginners and experts alike
• Experience the latest wave of drones, from consumer to surveillance to agricultural
• Get up close to an autonomous vehicle, and maybe even ride in one
• See what humanoid robots can do today, and what they might be able to do in the future
• Learn about robotic arms and how they are used in a variety of applications including manufacturing
• Find out how logistics robots are helping get your online orders to you faster
• See how robots are promoting a healthy lifestyle
• Discover the innovations taking place at local university robotics programs, including interactive and language-guided learning, NASA Mars Ice Challenge robot and research drones.

Participants in this year’s block party include: Analog Devices, American Robotics, Aptiv Autonomous Mobility, Ava Robotics, ChartaCloud, Cleo Robotics, FLIR Unmanned Ground Systems, Franklin Robotics, GreenSightAG, Harmonic Drive, iRobot, MITRE, MVP Robotics, National Guard, Next Era Innovations, Optimus Ride, Piaggio Fast Forward, RightHand Robotics, RSE, SMC, SoftRobotics, Thinking Robots, Waypoint Robotics, FIRST robotics teams from the area and universities including Harvard, Northeastern, Tufts (HRI & DevTech Research Group), UMass Lowell and WPI.

Come on down to Boston City Hall Plaza for the Robot Block Party, @HUBweek in the Hall of the Future. @CantonRobodogs pic.twitter.com/rGzjD9xs4X

— Ed McDonough (@Digucator) October 14, 2018

“As a key robotics research employer in the region, TRI appreciates the exposure and enthusiasm the annual MassRobotics Robot Block Party delivers to the talent of tomorrow,” said Eric Krotkov, chief science officer for the Toyota Research Institute (TRI). “We are eager to educate students on potential career paths and show how they could be applied in support of TRI’s work in artificial intelligence to develop human amplification technology.”

“WPI is pleased to support the MassRobotics’ 3rd Annual Robot Block Party”, said Wole Soboyejo, provost and senior vice president at WPI. “It aligns closely with WPI’s longstanding commitment to STEM education and robotics engineering.”

The MassRobotics Block Party is made possible by a grant from the MassTech Collaborative, the premier sponsor of the event, along with support from the MITRE Corporation, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, Toyota Research Institute, Arrow Electronics, Vecna Robotics and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

“We are excited to celebrate robotics and show the local community this amazing technology. The interest we see from students in learning about robots continues to grow and we are grateful for the generous support of MassTech Collaborative and other sponsors in allowing us to put on this event,” said Tom Ryden, executive director, MassRobotics. “We host many STEM events and student visits at MassRobotics throughout the year. The Robot Block Party gives students and families a unique, up-close chance to get their hands on the newest developments in field and see how robots may impact their lives.”

MassRobotics is the exclusive Strategic Partner of the Robotics Summit & Expo, which is produced by The Robot Report.