The Robotics Summit & Expo, produced by The Robotic Report, has unveiled the primary have a look at its convention agenda for the April 30-Could 1 occasion on the Boston Conference and Exhibition Heart. The Robotics Summit & Expo brings collectively 5,000+ builders centered on constructing robots for quite a lot of industrial industries.
Attendees will achieve insights into the newest enabling applied sciences, engineering greatest practices, and rising traits. There might be 70-plus audio system on stage, 10+ hours of devoted networking time, a Girls in Robotics Breakfast, a MassRobotics startup showcase, and extra. Returning to the present is the RBR50 Pavilion and RBR50 Awards Dinner that can honor the winners of the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards.
Past the keynotes and convention classes, there might be 200-plus displays and demos on the expo present ground, a profession honest, a robotics improvement problem, networking alternatives and extra.
The entire agenda for the Robotics Summit & Expo is under. You may as well view the agenda right here to plan your journey and register right here. Early chicken registration for the Robotics Summit ends Feb. 28. Word that audio system are nonetheless being added.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Opening Keynote: Welcome to the Period of Bodily Intelligence
Speaker: Daniela Rus, Director, MIT CSAIL
9-9:45 AM
Bodily Intelligence is achieved when AI’s energy to know textual content, pictures, indicators, and different data is used to make bodily machines equivalent to robots clever. To attain efficient bodily intelligence, we want energy-efficient AI techniques that may run reliably on robots, sensors, and different edge gadgets. On this keynote, MIT CSAIL Director Daniela Rus will focus on the challenges of transformer-based basis AI fashions. She may even introduce various physics-based fashions and clarify how they obtain efficiency effectively.
The Way forward for Logistics Automation
Speaker: TBD
10-10:45 AM
The way forward for logistics automation is evolving quickly, pushed by developments in robotics, AI, and autonomous techniques. This keynote will discover rising applied sciences shaping warehouse and provide chain automation, from cell robots to robotic choosing and all the things in between.
Case Research: How Automation is Altering the Warehouse
Speaker: Kait Peterson, VP of Product Advertising, Locus Robotics
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
This session explores the transformative affect of data-driven warehouse automation, that includes case research from numerous industries like retail, 3PL, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Achieve invaluable insights into the journey of implementing robotic applied sciences, together with autonomous cell robots (AMRs), from system integration and alter administration to ongoing optimization and efficiency measurement. The session additionally highlights how distribution operations have efficiently scaled their automation methods and supplies steerage on subsequent steps for evolving automation efforts.
Commercializing Robotics: The Energy of Manufacturing Partnerships
Audio system: Jennifer Apicella, Govt Director at Pittsburgh Robotics Community; Larry Jasinski, Chief Govt Officer at Lifeward (extra audio system to return)
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Be part of our panel of consultants as they discover the important function of outsourcing in robotics commercialization. Discover how leveraging strategic manufacturing partnerships can speed up time to market, improve product high quality, and optimize prices. Our seasoned panelists will share real-world methods, insights, and greatest practices for turning progressive concepts into profitable merchandise. Uncover firsthand the right way to navigate frequent challenges and scale operations successfully from leaders who’ve achieved all of it.
Register in the present day to save lots of 40% on convention passes!
Creating a Low Profile, Energy Dense Actuator to Meet the Calls for of Present Robotic Designs
Speaker: Adam Farley, NE Regional Gross sales Engineer, Harmonic Drive
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
This session will focus on the necessity for movement management options that supply vanguard efficiency and reliability, whereas navigating round tight design constraints. Energy density continues to be a cornerstone in robotic actuator design, however that is usually compromised by extra performance required of actuators and their cabling. We are going to look at a brand new resolution to those issues via the event of Harmonic Drive’s expertise.
Navigating Constraints When Designing Movement Management for Medical Robotic Joints
Speaker: Jordan Schaeffer, Novanta
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Designing a robotic arm for medical purposes presents technical challenges and buyer wants. The main focus is on creating an environment friendly robotic system that performs particular medical duties whereas guaranteeing affected person security, entails cautious joint design and element choice. Prospects purpose to design, assemble, combine, and certify these techniques, all whereas looking for innovation to keep up a aggressive edge. Nevertheless, they face challenges equivalent to house constraints, warmth era, complexity, and excessive prices. To beat these obstacles, clients search for positive factors equivalent to counting on business consultants, decreasing time to market, outsourcing non-core actions, and attaining a aggressive benefit. Understanding these elements permits us to higher assist engineers when designing for Medical Robots.
Key ROS 2 Options to Be taught as ROS 1 Sunsets
Speaker: Geoffrey Biggs, CTO, Open Supply Robotics Basis
1:45 – 2:30 PM
The primary public launch of ROS 2 was made by the Open Supply Robotics Basis greater than 10 years in the past. Since then, ROS 2 use in industrial services has grown enormously. On this discuss, we are going to have a look at just some of the unimaginable successes that ROS 2 has enabled world wide, in a variety of fields. ROS 2 has enabled profitable ventures in fields as different as warehouse robotics, in-factory transportation, long-term ocean analysis, supply drones, resort supply, hospital automation, and even on the Worldwide House Station. Via these examples, attendees will be taught why constructing on ROS 2 permits them to obtain the work of lots of of engineers for a lot decrease funding than constructing from scratch, and why utilizing ROS 2 is the easiest way to attain success of their product improvement and scale as much as full deployment sooner than by constructing all the things themselves. We may even focus on perceived boundaries to adoption, and what’s on the horizon for ROS 2. ROS 1 reaches finish of life on Could 31, 2025.
Nuts & Bolts of Robotic Navigation
Audio system: Sonali Deshpande, Workers Robotics Software program Engineer at Relay Robotics; Andrea Okerholm Huttlin, Senior Workers Software program Engineer at Collaborative Robotics; Garrett Place, Enterprise Improvement Supervisor of Robotic Notion Applied sciences at ifm USA; William Sitch, Chief Enterprise Officer at Predominant Avenue Autonomy
1:45 – 2:30 PM
This panel will discover the necessities of robotic navigation, providing sensible insights into greatest practices, sensing modalities, and approaches that guarantee protected and dependable navigation in real-world environments. We’ll discover key matters equivalent to sensor fusion, SLAM strategies, path planning, and impediment avoidance, emphasizing the significance of strong techniques for dynamic, unstructured settings, and extra.
Surgical Robotic Haptics & Drive Interplay
Speaker: Robert Brooks, Founder & CEO at ForceN
1:45 – 2:30 PM
This discuss affords a sensible information to implementing drive/torque sensing in surgical & medical robotics. It should cowl use instances usually surgical procedure, ophthalmic, catheter, & orthopedic robotics. It should focus on greatest practices for designing drive reflecting haptics, affected person contact & localization, & surgeon collaboration. Attendees may even be taught concerning the newest advances in drive/torque sensing expertise, together with advances in overload safety, fast prototyping, and edge intelligence.
Advancing Distant Surgical procedure: Tackling Latency, Precision, and Safety Points
Speaker: Darren Porras, Market Improvement Supervisor, Healthcare at RTI
2:45 – 3:30 PM
Distant surgical robotics require a fancy interaction of robots, communication infrastructure and real-time management techniques. Technical hurdles stay which are impacting the reliability, precision and adoption of distant surgical procedure. These challenges embody latency and community reliability; AI-powered haptic suggestions and precision; knowledge safety and privateness; system integration and scalability; and fail-safe system environments. Attendees will be taught concerning the cutting-edge applied sciences, equivalent to AI and machine studying, that allow distant surgical procedure. The discuss may even discover new options to the technical challenges which are slowing down progress. The discuss will embody an indication of an built-in multi-vendor system that makes use of industrial off-the-shelf software program to course of knowledge from a distant controller consumer to a robotic arm. It should additionally illustrate how the system makes use of a data-centric structure to guard itself in opposition to unauthorized entry.
Constructing Robots that Scale for Massive Corporations
Speaker: Mikell Taylor, Principal Technical Product Supervisor at Amazon Robotics
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Massive firms like Amazon are working at huge scale with excessive calls for on security, reliability, effectivity, and value. Efficiently promoting expertise to them generally is a main win however with out the proper strategy, there might be many ache factors. Be part of this session to listen to immediately from design and improvement groups inside Amazon Robotics to be taught extra and get your questions answered about the right way to construct and associate with massive firms and efficiently deploy techniques with the proper concentrate on security, value, knowledge privateness, community safety, IP possession, and extra.
How Cellular Manipulators are Re-defining Logistics
Speaker: Jan Zizka, CEO & Co-founder at Brightpick
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Cellular manipulation is quickly rising as the subsequent frontier in robotics. Cellular manipulators are available in many various types, every providing distinctive benefits and a few already attaining widespread adoption. Early deployments have confirmed that cell manipulators have the potential to remodel the automation panorama, providing better flexibility, superior efficiency, and extra labor financial savings than present applied sciences. This discuss will discover the present state of cell manipulation, showcase profitable deployments, and focus on how companies can leverage these techniques to boost their operations.
Planetary Pivot – Scaling Cellular Robotics with Fashionable Actuator Ideas
Speaker: Alessandro Forino, Head of Robotic Drive Programs at maxon
2:45-3:30 PM
The discuss will discover the evolution of actuator designs in trendy cell robotics, emphasizing the shift in direction of lower-cost and fewer complicated techniques whereas sustaining excessive efficiency. Conventional robotics purposes, equivalent to industrial manipulators, have relied on exact movement management with low-backlash gears and high-stiffness elements. Nevertheless, rising traits in autonomous cell robots, which function in unstructured environments and work together intently with people, necessitate new actuator paradigms.
Danger is Totally different with AI: Methods for Resilient Robots
Speaker: SK Gupta, Co-Founder & Chief Scientist at GrayMatter Robotics
2:45 – 3:30 PM
AI is reworking numerous industries, however its deployment introduces distinctive dangers that should be fastidiously managed. As AI turns into integral to manufacturing, healthcare, and different sectors, understanding and mitigating these dangers is essential for fulfillment. This discuss will discover key dangers related to AI in robotics, together with vulnerabilities in coaching knowledge, potential algorithmic errors, privateness and safety issues, and the affect on workforce expertise. It should introduce sensible frameworks for auditing coaching knowledge, verifying AI fashions, and customizing instruments for particular danger administration wants. Moreover, the discuss will focus on methods for guaranteeing compliance with rising rules and stopping unintended penalties that would hurt each companies and the setting. Attendees will achieve insights into greatest practices for assessing system efficiency, implementing failsafes, and adapting to altering circumstances—guaranteeing that AI instruments are deployed safely, successfully, and ethically.
Advancing Robotic Studying with Drive Sensing & Bodily Intelligence
Speaker: Klajd Lika, CEO & Founder at Bota Programs
4:15 – 5 PM
Robots have historically excelled in industrial settings with exact, repetitive duties, however their adaptability in dynamic, unstructured environments has been restricted attributable to complicated programming necessities. AI and Machine Studying (ML) promise to make robots extra adaptable and simpler to program, but challenges stay, significantly in knowledge acquisition. Whereas present robotic sensors seize movement knowledge like joint positions and visuals, they usually lack drive measurements essential for predicting actions and dealing with deformable or movable objects. Drive and torque sensing play a significant function in bettering robotic management and enabling “”bodily intelligence”” via AI-driven studying, permitting robots to carry out duties like stopping slippage, greedy delicate objects, and working in dynamic environments. These developments pave the best way for purposes in warehouse automation, healthcare, and underwater robotics. This session will discover efficient strategies for equipping robots with drive sensing and capturing high-quality knowledge to advance robotic studying and flexibility.
Tips on how to Get Your First Robotic into the Manufacturing facility
Speaker: Jan Hennecke, Low-Price Automation Product Supervisor at igus
4:15 – 5 PM
In in the present day’s fast-paced manufacturing panorama, automation is not a luxurious—it’s a necessity. However how do you’re taking step one in integrating robotics into your manufacturing unit ground with out breaking the financial institution or disrupting operations? This discuss will information you thru the method of introducing your first robotic into manufacturing. Designed for engineers and mission managers, this presentation will demystify the world of robotics integration, specializing in sensible, cost-effective methods that ship most ROI. You’ll learn to establish processes ripe for automation, select the proper low-cost robotic options, and navigate frequent pitfalls in implementation. The discuss will share real-world examples and success tales for instance how small investments in robotics can yield vital positive factors in effectivity, consistency, and scalability. Additionally, you will learn the way igus’ progressive, low-cost automation options may also help your manufacturing unit keep aggressive in an ever-evolving market.
MassRobotics Healthcare Catalyst Showcase
Audio system: TBD
4:15 – 5 PM
MassRobotics is internet hosting its 4th annual Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst. The aim is to advance healthcare robotics firms by offering the connections, steerage and assets they should develop and succeed. Attend this discuss to listen to pitches from healthcare robotics startups at the moment in this system. Every of the startups embodies the progressive spirit and potential to remodel the healthcare business with their distinctive robotic options.
The State of Humanoids
Audio system: Aaron Prather, Director of Robotics and Autonomous Programs at ASTM Worldwide; Al Makke, Director – Engineering at Schaeffler; Pras Velagapudi, Chief Know-how Officer at Agility Robotics
4:15 – 5 PM
Be part of business consultants for a panel that explores the technical and enterprise challenges shaping the event of humanoids. Hear insights from early deployments, what’s on the horizon, and the continuing efforts to determine security requirements.
Combine & Mingle Networking Reception
5 – 7 PM
Join with robotics colleagues from world wide to recap Day 1 of the present, meet up with outdated mates and create new connections.
RBR50 Awards Dinner
6 – 8 PM
The RBR50 Awards honor the business’s prime developments every year. The 2025 RBR50 winners might be celebrated throughout a reception and dinner that returns to the Robotics Summit. Come be taught from and community with robotics innovators world wide.
Thursday, Could 1, 2025
Girls in Robotics Breakfast
Audio system: Laura Main, Interim CEO & CTO at Motional; Joyce Sidopoulos, Co-Founder & Chief of Operations at MassRobotics
8-9 AM
Be part of robotics business friends for an hour of networking, engagement, and mentorship (and foods and drinks, after all). Discover a mentor, attain out to a brand new contact, reconnect, and assist foster a motion that wants extra feminine management in any respect ranges. Attendees may even hear from Laura Main and Joyce Sidopoulos about their journeys within the robotics business.
Opening Keynote: Boston Dynamics on Redesigning Atlas & the Way forward for Humanoids
Speaker: Aaron Saunders, CTO at Boston Dynamics
9 – 9:45 AM
Boston Dynamics CTO Aaron Saunders will unpack the brand new, electrical Atlas humanoid and share insights from being on the forefront of humanoid improvement for years. This keynote will discover the challenges and alternatives of constructing humanoids for real-world purposes, providing a behind-the-scenes have a look at how Boston Dynamics continues to innovate and push the restrict of robotics.
Keynote: Constructing Robotic Manipulation at Amazon Robotics
Audio system: Steve Crowe, Govt Editor at The Robotic Report & Chair of Robotics Summit & Expo; Aaron Parness, Director of Utilized Science in Robotics and Synthetic Intelligence at Amazon Robotics
10 – 10:45 AM
Aaron Parness and Steve Crowe will focus on a number of the newest developments and breakthroughs from Amazon Robotics. The hearth chat will discover how these developments are enhancing Amazon’s achievement operations world wide.
Bridging Robotics and Programs Programming: Why Rust is a Sport Changer
Speaker: Guillaume Binet, Founder at Copper Robotics
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
As robotics techniques develop extra complicated, integrating specialists like algorithm builders, machine studying engineers, and management consultants might be difficult—particularly when counting on conventional languages like C++. On this discuss, I’ll share my journey of constructing Copper, a robotic runtime designed to deal with these integration hurdles. Rust supplies each systems-level efficiency and security, overcoming points like concurrency and undefined conduct whereas remaining accessible to builders much less skilled in low-level programming. Via real-world examples and Rust code snippets, we’ll discover how Rust excels in managing concurrency, writing error-free algorithms, and bridging the hole between low-level management and high-level design beneath the Copper framework. By the tip, you’ll see how Rust can streamline robotics improvement, making it extra built-in, environment friendly, and dependable.
Designing Our Subsequent-Era Surgical Robotic
Speaker: Barry Greene, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer at Vicarious Surgical
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
This discuss will dive into technical and medical points about Vicarious Surgical’s next-generation surgical robotic, which is designed for distinctive outcomes via pure movement, supernatural attain, and streamlined workflows. Utilizing a novel structure with all shifting joints contained in the stomach through a single 18 mm port, the system affords optimum orientation, improved security, and lowered incision dimension by 30%. With 9 levels of freedom, 28 sensors per arm, 3D visualization, and multispectral imaging, the robotic enhances decision-making and AI-driven developments in surgical procedure.
From Chaos to Readability: Utilizing AI to Discover Necessary Occasions in Robotic Logs
Speaker: Benji Barash, Co-Founder & CEO at Roboto AI
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Robots generate huge logs of multimodal knowledge, making it difficult to seek out key insights with out sifting via all the things manually. This session explores cutting-edge strategies like sign search and vision-language fashions that shortly extract significant knowledge, important for debugging, validation, and coaching robotic basis fashions. Learn to remodel robotic logs into a robust device for improvement and next-gen robotics.
Maximizing the Worth of a Warehouse Via Lights Out Order Success
Audio system: Yaro Tenzer, CEO & Co-Founder at RightHand Robotics (extra audio system to return)
11:30 – 12:15 PM
Lights-out order achievement has been a big aim in recent times, although some argue that the applied sciences wanted for absolutely automated amenities are usually not but mature. Nevertheless, a number of firms are already working “lights-out” amenities. This discuss will delve into the perceived hole between expectations and the fact of warehouse operations.
Fundamentals of Robotics {Hardware} & Software program Design
Speaker: Marcin Panek, Robotics Software program Lead at Bosch
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Each robotics system requires a correct and steady software program and {hardware} platform, very similar to a constructing depends on a strong basis. Expertise from robotics product improvement tasks exhibits that groups usually neglect the important phases of platform requirement assortment, design, and implementation, as a substitute dashing into growing autonomy options. Some elementary questions to think about embody: – What compute unit must be used? – What are the system’s compute energy necessities, and the way can they be assessed? – What working system is best suited? Is difficult RealTime required? Is protected OS required? – What are the core functionalities and companies of the software program platform? E.g., logging, diagnostics, configuration, and runtime administration. – Is ROS the proper selection for each case? What middleware must be adopted? – How can AI/ML workloads be effectively executed on the platform? – What are the {hardware} necessities when it comes to reminiscence, connectivity, {hardware} interfaces, and environmental circumstances? On this discuss, we are going to emphasize the significance of well-designed robotics software program and {hardware} platforms, spotlight frequent points that groups usually encounter late within the mission lifecycle, and suggest frameworks to information the platform design course of successfully.
Generative AI’s Influence on Robotics
Audio system: Xavier Chi, Co-Founder at mbodi AI; Ted Larson, CEO at OLogic; Rajat Bhageria, Founder & CEO at Chef Robotics; Karthee Madasamy, Founder & Managing Companion at MFV Companions
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Generative AI is revolutionizing the software program business, however how can this breakthrough be utilized to robotics? This panel will focus on the purposes of huge language fashions (LLMs) and textual content era purposes to robotics. It should additionally discover elementary methods generative AI might be utilized to robotics design, mannequin coaching, simulation, management, human-machine interplay and extra.
ToF vs. Lively Sterero Imaginative and prescient: Which 3D Imaging Approach is Proper for You?
Speaker: Philip Freidin, Gross sales Engineer at IDS
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Dive into the science of depth sensing on this seminar on 3D imaging for robotics, specializing in active-stereo imaginative and prescient and time-of-flight (TOF) strategies. Be taught the basics, discover the strengths and limitations of every technique, and uncover real-world purposes and developments shaping the way forward for automation. Achieve the information to confidently select one of the best 3D imaging expertise on your robotics tasks.
Closing Keynote: Superior Bionics for People & Robots
Speaker: Aadeel Akhtar, CEO & Founder at PSYONIC
3:30 – 4:15 PM
This discuss and dwell demo explores the synergy between robotics and medical gadgets, highlighting groundbreaking developments in bionic expertise. From the event of prosthetics that restore contact and dexterity to the mixing of robotics for improved human-machine interplay, learn the way cutting-edge analysis and innovation are pushing the boundaries of what’s attainable. Uncover the shared challenges and options in creating life-changing gadgets for people and constructing higher robots impressed by biology.
MassRobotics Profession Truthful
3:30 – 5:30 PM
The MassRobotics Profession Truthful is designed for technical business job seekers, together with each latest graduates and seasoned engineers, pc scientists, imaginative and prescient specialists, mechatronics consultants, AI professionals, and extra. Corporations from start-ups to business leaders might be internet hosting data tables the place candidates can be taught extra concerning the firm, discover out what positions are open, and schedule interviews.
