On Tuesday, the National Center for Manufacturing Science and the University of Michigan hosted Michigan Robotics Day at the North Campus Research Complex, a free event held to showcase advancements made by Michigan companies and research organizations such as space robotics and autonomous vehicles.
The day was comprised of keynotes, demonstrations and networking opportunities, aimed to offer students an opportunity to peer into the world of innovative technology.
Danny Ellis, co-founder and CEO at SkySpecs, and Bob Richards from Stockbridge Robotics spoke at the event.
Last year, the day drew nearly 650 students, as well as some younger attendees. The host organization, MI Robotics, tweeted a video of a group of younger attendees playing with some of the many robots exhibited at the event.
According to the event’s website, the center’s goals for the day were to demonstrate the United States’ involvement in the latest technological developments and to increase funding for robotics research and science-, technology-, engineering- and math-related fields.The University of Michigan’s goals were similary — raising awareness and advocating for Michigan’s technological strengths and aim to “raise awareness of regional robotics capabilities (and) Promote Michigan STEM and industry strengths,” according to their website.
Some of the presentations garnered such attention beyond campus, including a tweet from U.S. Manufacturing in response to one of the presentations made by Chris Brewer, chief engineer at Ford Motor Company, about autonomous vehicles.