Your guide to Day 1 of the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo

The Robotics Summit & Expo is finally here! The show will bring together over 5,000 developers focused on building robots for aerospace and defense, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and other markets.

The show begins at 9:00 a.m. ET at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Room 258ABC with two back-to-back keynotes. The first, “Redesigning Atlas: Boston Dynamics on the Future of Humanoids,” will be from Aaron Saunders, chief technology officer of Boston Dynamics.

During this presentation, Saunders will discuss the new, electric Atlas humanoid and share insights from being at the forefront of humanoid development for years. He’ll explore the challenges and opportunities of building humanoids for real-world applications, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Boston Dynamics continues to innovate and push the limits of robotics.

At 10:00 a.m., James Kuffner, the CTO at Symbotic, will kick off the second keynote, “The Future of Intelligent Automated Logistics.” He will discuss his recent transition to Symbotic, which is delivering advanced AI-powered logistics robot fleets to the global supply chain.

Kuffner will also talk about how progress in machine learning, perception, and computing power has enabled a new generation of robots that can operate reliably in semi-structured environments like warehouses. Innovative algorithms for multi-robot motion and task planning are creating exciting opportunities for the future of intelligent automated logistics.

Also at 10:00 a.m., the Robotics Summit & Expo show floor will open. It includes the Engineering Theater, the live podcast studio, the RBR50 showcase area, and even an opportunity to play pickleball with Tennibot. Read on to see what else the day has in store.

Day 1 breakout sessions

Breakout sessions will start at 11:30 a.m. upstairs from the show floor. Today’s summit breakout talk schedule is:

Building a Global Robotics Business – Case Studies on Selling and Scaling Globally: This talk will start at 11:30 a.m. in Room 259AB. Attendees can learn from Avihou Barkay, the president and chief operating officer of Plus One Robotics; Chloe Chong, the regional director of Americas at the Singapore Economic Development Board; Jasmine Lombardi, the chief customer officer at Locus Robotics; and Tung Meng Fai, the executive director of the Singapore National Robotics Programme.
Case Studies: How Automation Is Changing the Warehouse: Led by Kait Peterson, the vice president of product marketing at Locus Robotics, this session will start at 11:30 a.m. in Room 256.
Cross Roller Bearings: Technical Advantages in Strain Wave Gear Applications: Jim Leonard, vice president of sales at Harmonic Drive, will speak at at 11:30 a.m. in Room 257A.
Navigating Constraints When Designing Motion Control for Medical Robot Joints: Jordan Schaeffler, a strategic business engineer at Novanta, will present at 11:30 a.m. in Room 260.
The Robotics Scale-Up: Commercialization Journey: This panel will start at 11:30 a.m. in Room 257B. It will feature insights from Jennifer Apicella, the executive director at the Pittsburgh Robotics Network; Larry Jasinski, the CEO of Lifeward (formerly ReWalk Robotics); and Karl Sanchack, chief operating officer of Carnegie Foundry.
3PL in Robotics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: This session will start at 1:45 p.m. in Room 256. It will feature third-party logistics insights from Steve Fischer, the vice president of engineering at Cart.com; Jordan Frank, co-founder and executive vice president at Zion Solutions Group; and Jim Shaw, the founder and president at Zion Solutions Group.
Advancing Remote Surgery: Tackling Latency, Precision, and Security Issues: Darran Porras, the market development manager at Healthcare RTI, and Tom Amlicke, the technical director of robotics at MedAcuity, will explore surgical robotics at 1:45 p.m. in Room 260.
Key ROS 2 Features to Learn as ROS 1 Sunsets: Geoffrey Biggs, CTO of the Open Source Robotics Foundation, will kick off this session at 1:45 p.m. in Room 257B.
Nuts and Bolts of Robotic Navigation: This discussion starts at 1:45 p.m. in Room 257A. It will feature Sonali Deshpande, a staff robotics software engineer at Relay Robotics;, Andrea Okerholm Huttlin, a senior staff software engineer at Collaborative Robotics; William Sitch, the chief business officer at Main Street Autonomy; Garrett Place, business development manager of robotic perception technologies at ifm USA; and Mike Oitzman, senior editor at The Robot Report.
Raising Capital in Robotics: Scaling Your Vision on Your Terms: Starting at 1:45 p.m. in Room 259AB, this session will be led by Logan Fahey Franz, the CEO of Graze Robotics, and Jonathan Stidd, chief marketing officer at DealMaker.
Building Robots that Scale for Large Companies: Kyle Betts, a senior technical product manager of manipulation robotics at Amazon Robotics, will speak at 2:45 p.m. in Room 257B.
How Mobile Manipulators are Redefining Logistics: Led by Jan Zizka, the co-founder and CEO of Brightpick, this session will kick off at 2:45 p.m. in Room 256.
Risk Is Different with AI: Strategies for Resilient Robots: SK Gupta, the co-founder and chief scientist at GrayMatter Robotics, plans to analyze challenges and best practices at 2:45 p.m. in Room 259AB.
Surgical Robot Haptics and Force Interaction: Robert Brooks, the founder and CEO at ForceN, will start this summit session at 2:45 p.m. in Room 260.
Virtual Twins for Humanoid Robotics: This panel will start at 2:45 p.m. in Room 257A. Eugene Demaitre, editorial director of The Robot Report, will moderate a conversation with Stéphane Sireau, the vice president of high-tech industry at Dassault Systèmes, and Pras Velagapudi, CTO of Agility Robotics.
Advancing Robot Learning with Force Sensing & Physical Intelligence: At 4:15 p.m. in Room 259AB, Klajd Lika, the founder and CEO of Bota Systems, will examine these technologies.
How to Get Your First Robot into the Factory: Jan Hennecke, low-cost automation product manager at igus, will share tips at at 4:15 p.m. in Room 256.
MassRobotics Accelerator Showcase: Starting at 4:15 p.m. in Room 260, attendees will hear from MassRobotics‘ latest Accelerator cohort, which includes a diverse group of technology startups from across the U.S.
Planetary Pivot – Scaling Mobile Robotics with Modern Actuator Concepts: Alessandro Forino, the head of robotic drive systems at maxon, will explain recent developments at 4:15 p.m. in Room 257A.
The State of Humanoids: This panel will start at 4:15 p.m. in Room 257B. It will feature Aaron Prather, the director of robotics and autonomous systems at ASTM International; Al Makke, the director of engineering at Schaeffler; Mike Oitzman, senior editor at The Robot Report; and Pras Velagapudi, CTO of Agility Robotics.

What’s happening in the Engineering Theater

Six sessions will run in the Robotics Engineering Theater on the show floor:

Making Autonomous Bipedals Stable and Safe: Tackling the Safety and Real-world Interfacing Challenges of Physical AI: Nikolai Ensslen, the CEO of Synapticon, will present at 11:00 a.m.
A New World of Software-Defined Robotics, Opportunities and Risks: Sreedhar Tumma, the global senior product marketing manager at QNX, plans to explore emerging topics at 11:45 a.m.
Robotic Hands — Innovative Drive Systems for This Essential Interface: Rolf Schmideder, the head of business development at FAULHABER Drive Systems, will start this talk at 1:15 p.m.
Shaken and Stirred: Understanding and Managing Vibration for Longer Robotic Life: This 2:00 p.m. panel will include Adam Bahret, the founder of Apex Ridge Reliability Consulting; Thomas Dutremble, the CEO of Acorn Product Development; and Dan McGinnis, the director of Unified.
Get a Grip: Enabling Robotic Dexterity With Tactile Sensors: This summit session will start at 2:45 p.m. with Heba Khamis, the co-founder of Contactile.
Meeting Warehouse Demands: Robotics, Motion Control, and Gearbox Strategies for Smarter Automation: Craig Van den Avont, the president of GAM Enterprises, will discuss this topic at 3:30 p.m.

Network at the Robotics Summit

In addition to the expo hall, which will be open until 5:00 p.m., booths will hand out free drinks for a tailgate from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Come relax and catch up with your friends in the industry while also getting caught up with the latest advancements from our exhibitors.

After the show floor closes, we’ll be holding the Robotics Mix & Mingle Reception in Room 258ABC from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. This is a ticketed event that is free to add-on to your Full Conference pass.

The RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Reception & Gala will start at 6:00 p.m. This is a ticketed event, with very limited seats. It will be held in Room 253BC.

Remember to download the Robotics Summit App to plan your personal schedule, network with fellow attendees, find exhibits, and more.