Listen to this article

RoboBusiness, produced by The Robot Report, kicks off today at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The two-day event will bring together more than 60 speakers, over 100 exhibitors and demos on the expo floor, 10+ hours of dedicated networking time, the Pitchfire Robotics Startup Competition, a Women in Robotics Luncheon, and more.

The show will focus on the technical challenges of building commercial robots and the business challenges of running a robotics company. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect on Day 1. You can still register for the event.

Keynotes

Opening Keynote: New Levels of Collaboration in Robotics
Time: 9:30 AM- 10:15 AM 
Location: Theater
Speaker: Rodney Brooks, the co-founder and CTO of Robust AI

Collaborative robots have been around for over a decade and are widely adopted in many industries. To date, however, the word collaborative has not carried a lot of weight; basically amounting to “don’t hit the people.”

We can do better. The future of automation depends on next-level collaboration between humans and machines.

Robust.AI CTO and co-founder Rodney Brooks will describe the imminent future where people maintain their own agency while collaborating with robots each contributing to the same task, and around those same robots that may be working on a task autonomously. Collaboration and autonomy can enhance and empower humans, without compromising on flexibility, reliability or safety.

Keynote Panel: Driving the Future of Robotics Innovation
Time: 10:30 AM- 11:15 AM 
Location: Theater
Speaker: Joan-Wilhelm Schwarze, the senior global innovation manager of the Center of Excellence Automation of Operations at DHL; John Bubnikovich, the president of ABB Robotics US; Eric Truebenbach, the managing director at Teradyne Robotics Ventures; Eugene Demaitre the editorial director of Robotics at WTWH Media; Amit Goel the head of Robotics and Edge AI Ecosystem at NVIDIA; and Mike Oitzman an editor of robotics at WTWH Media

This keynote panel will explore how collaborative efforts and technological advancements are driving the future of robotics innovation. The panelists will also talk about the challenges and opportunities the industry faces and the potential impact new technologies such as generative AI and humanoid robots could have on multiple industries.

Expo Hall

The exhibit hall will be open from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. It features over 100 exhibitors, including the Formant Demo Zone. The Demo Zone will feature robots from Canvas, Clearpath Robotics, Burro, Field AI, and Slalom. 

On the show floor robotics engineers will find industry-leading companies such as Harmonic Drive, Kollmorgen, Robust AI, PickNik Robotics, Bota Systems AG, Novanta, and more. 

Additionally, visitors should visit the Startup Showcase. Here, you can get a look at cutting-edge technology from companies at the beginning of their robotics journey. The showcase will include demos from Dalus AI, Copper Robotics, Summer Robotics, Open Droids, Inception Robotics, Robotics88, and dexman.ai. 

For the first time at RoboBusiness, attendees can also check out the Engineering Theater on the expo floor. On the first day of the show, the theater will feature talks from VitalPath, Adromeda Surgical, Everight Position, Geisel Software, Formant, Bomello, and Bota Systems. 

Conference Sessions

The agenda features five tracks covering design & development, driving business, enabling technologies, field robotics, and innovation. On Day 1, attendees can look forward to the Robotics Startup Bootcamp. This favorite at RoboBusiness is split into two parts, the first starting at 11:45 AM and the second starting at 1:45 PM. During these sessions, hosted by the MassRobotics accelerator, a panel of robotics experts will share best practices for many of the common challenges that make or break a company. 

Another favorite of the show is the Pitchfire Startup Competition, which will be held from 4:00 – 4:45 PM. During this session, the industry’s robotics startups compete in the RoboBusiness Pitchfire Competition for a $5,000 first-place prize and eternal bragging rights. Each startup delivers a 5-minute ‘pitch’ to a panel of judges describing their solution, business model, value proposition and more. Judges pick a winner and two runners-up based on the startup they believe to be best primed for commercial success.

The first day of the show will also feature talks from Shadow Robot Company, Calibrate Ventures, FarmWise, Harmonic Drive, Calian, VitalPath, Andromeda Surgical, Everight Position, Future Bot Solutions, Adagy Robotics, ULC Technologies, Bishop-Wisecarver, Forcen, Burro, Formant, Bomello, Bota Systems, and more. 

Networking events

We’ll end Day 1 of RoboBusiness with a Networking Reception from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Attendees can mix and mingle with robotics colleagues from around the world. Sponsored by Harmonic Drive, this reception is open to all full conference pass holders, speakers, and sponsors. Pre-registration is required. It will be held on the 2nd floor pre-function and terrace. 

We’ll also be holding three networking breaks throughout the day, to give attendees an opportunity to follow up with speakers or other colleagues. These will take place at 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 3:30 PM.