Media Advisory 16-009

Marking five years of the National Robotics Initiative in Washington, D.C. on June 9

Hill event hosted by Congressional Robotics Caucus highlights achievements in collaborative robotics supported by NSF-led coalition of federal research agencies

Photo of a man handing ethernet cables to 2 robotic arms.

Expo will feature a panel discussion with roboticists and demonstrations of novel co-robot research.


June 3, 2016

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

To promote the progress and promise of collaborative robotics (co-robot) research, the Congressional Robotics Caucus will host an expo on Thursday, June 9, 2016, in Washington, D.C.

The event will mark the five-year anniversary of the National Robotics Initiative, a multi-agency effort among the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the National Institutes for Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate the development and use of robots that work beside or cooperatively with people and solve problems in areas of national priority.

The event, hosted by Congressional Robotics Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Rob Woodall and Congressman Mike Doyle, will feature the latest in robotic technologies, as well as a discussion among leading scientists, educators and thought-leaders, and will promote improved public understanding of development of co-robots in the modern world.

Event details:

What

An expo event for legislators, congressional staffers, agency representatives, media and the public demonstrating advances in the field of robotics.

When

12:30 – 6 p.m. ET on June 9, 2016

Where

All events at the B339 Rayburn House Office Building

Who

All are welcome; RSVP requested: email: b.concepcion@ieee.org

Schedule:

12:30 – 2 p.m.

  • A lunchtime discussion about the impact of the National Robotics Initiative among leaders from industry, academia and government

The panel will feature:

  • Moderator Martial Hebert, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Lynne Parker, co-chair, NITRD Interagency Working Group on Robotics and Intelligent Systems

  • Robert Atkinson, president, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  • Henrik Christensen, Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Georgia Tech University; fellow, IEEE Robotics & Automation Society

2 – 4 p.m.

  • Open house: Meet the NRI recipients

4 – 6:30 p.m.

  • A room full of robots in action: Demonstrations of diverse, representative research supported by the National Robotics Initiative

The exhibition will feature researchers leading NRI-funded projects and agencies, including:

  • Aaron Becker, University of Houston
  • Howie Choset, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Jnaneshwar Das, University of Pennsylvania
  • Aaron Ames, Georgia Tech Jessy Grizzle, University of Michigan, and Koushil Sreenath, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Satyandra K. Gupta, University of Southern California
  • Greg Hager, Johns Hopkins University
  • Robert MacCurdy, MIT
  • Marcie O’Malley, Rice University
  • Josip Markus, Ekso Bionics
  • Andrew Williams, Marquette University
  • Tyr Wiesner-Hanks, Cornell University
  • Cang Ye, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
  • Department of Energy, Environmental Management
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology, Robotic Systems for Smart Manufacturing Program

-NSF-


  • The National Robotics Initiative advanced research in soft robotics and other novel research areas.
    Credit and Larger Version

About the National Robotics Initiative

The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate development and use of robots in the United States that work beside or cooperatively with people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots working in symbiotic relationships with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including NSF, NASA, NIH, USDA, DOE, and DOD.

About the Congressional Robotics Caucus

The Congressional Robotics Caucus was formed in 2007 to focus on key issues facing the nation's robotics industry and related emerging technology. Members of Congress will learn firsthand about the use of robotics in agriculture, mining, logistics, defense, education, manufacturing and healthcare.

For more information about the event, please visit: http://1.usa.gov/25BFgj4.

For more information on the National Robotics Initiative, please visit: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503641.

For more information on the Congressional Robotics Caucus, please visit: http://www.roboticscaucus.org/.

Media Contacts
Aaron Dubrow, NSF, 703-292-4489, email: adubrow@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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