ANN ARBOR, MI – March 31, 2011. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Defense Center and SoarTech will host a Michigan Robotics Day on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at NCMS headquarters in Ann Arbor.
The event will showcase innovations and demonstrations in robotics and the program will include presentations from robotics industry luminaries as well as the region’s brightest robotics students. This event will be a celebration of the advances made by robotics companies and the growth of Michigan’s robotics technology sector, along with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Michigan.
Rick Jarman, President & CEO, NCMS
“Michigan is positioned to be a global leader in robotics innovation based on the talent and infrastructure that already exists here in the state,” said NCMS President & CEO Rick Jarman. “Design and deployment of robotics technology will ultimately depend on advanced manufacturing – exactly the kind of capability in which Michigan companies excel. Our day long event will highlight the robotics successes in Michigan, confirming the region as an economic development engine for the State.”
Dr. Jim Overholt, Chief Scientist for Robotics with the United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), in Warren, Michigan will present the keynote address. Overholt is a recognized leader in the field of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, with over 25-years of experience in military robotics. Dr. Overholt earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Lawrence Technological University and a master and doctorate in systems engineering from Oakland University.
Sara Blackmer, Defense Sector Development Director, Michigan Defense Center
“When someone says ‘ROBOT’, many think of automated assembly lines or the stuff of some science fiction movie like The Terminator. But the reality is much more practical. We need to start thinking of the robotics discipline less as a replacement for people and more as an enabling technology that further national and regional goals. Things like energy efficiency and fuel economy,” said Sara Blackmer, of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “Federal agencies are looking for ways to smartly achieve these goals, and it is significant that the Defense of Department located their Chief Ground Robotics Scientist right in the middle of the nation’s premiere automotive and advanced manufacturing resources. He sees part of his mission as leveraging regional excellence to raise ground robotics reliability and strategically insert autonomous technologies to help solve tough challenges.”
The program will feature a panel of prominent local roboticists representing the defense, transportation, industrial, entrepreneurial, medical, and agriculture sectors – highlighting Michigan industry and its growing role in robotics. Also on the agenda is demonstration of the award-winning Multi Autonomous Ground-Robotic International Challenge (MAGIC) technology developed by Assistant Professor Ed Olsen and his team at the University of Michigan,, The demonstration will be webcast and followed with a panel discussion for the school robotics teams in attendance, highlighting the importance of STEM education and the next generation of robotics and roboticists.
Andrew Dallas, Vice President, Federal Systems, SoarTech
“STEM is crucial to helping grow robotics in Michigan,” said Andrew Dallas Vice President, Federal Systems, SoarTech. “Students can participate on robotics teams in high school, do ground-breaking research at our universities, and work in this growing industry. In fact, the future of robotics in Michigan is really bright. We have the knowledge, we have the infrastructure and the drive to make this state a global leader.”
The event will conclude with a demonstration of high school robotics teams and an informal networking and feedback from the industry panel experts.
Attendance is free and open to the public. The event takes place on April 12, 2011, starting at 9:00 a.m. Attendee registration, webcast information, agenda, and speaker bios for this event are available at:
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest collaborative R&D consortium in North America and dedicated to driving innovation and competitiveness among manufacturers in commercial, defense, robotics, and related industries. NCMS has 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector. NCMS is the home of the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC), which has more than 180 members from industry and academia from around the country including 13 from Michigan.
In addition to collaborative R&D management, the company is an active advocate and innovator in building, providing, and aligning new solutions and processes to improve the competitiveness of North American manufacturers.
For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org
About SoarTech
SoarTech makes the vision of true autonomy a reality every day. By combining artificial intelligence with cognitive and social psychology SoarTech builds intelligent systems for defense, government and commercial applications that bring human-level intelligence and decision making to robotic systems. Their goal is to enhance human operations and abilities by creating thinking partners. Partners that work to make humans more prepared, more informed and more capable.
For more information, visit http://www.soartech.com
About MEDC
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is the State of Michigan’s one-stop resource for businesses seeking to grow in Michigan. As a public corporation created through an interlocal agreement between state and local governments, the MEDC is a liaison with local communities and agencies across the state. It is guided by a board comprised of members who represent a cross section of the state economy, business owners and executives, local economic developers and college presidents. The MEDC brings together supply and demand and matches up resources and services with the needs of our business customers.
For more information, visit http://www.michiganadvantage.org/
