Innovators Gather at UMass Lowell for Demonstrations, Discussion
10/16/2013
Contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu, Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
* Media Advisory *
Thursday, Oct. 17
8:30 to 11 a.m.
What: How are robots reshaping the workplace? How are they affecting the regional economy? Entrepreneurs, technology leaders and economic development groups will explore these and related topics during “Rise of the Robots: Changing the Workplace, Changing Lives” at UMass Lowell’s New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center, the country’s most advanced robotics testing facility.
Representatives of robotics companies including iRobot and MITRE Corp., both of Bedford, and Harvest Automation of North Billerica will discuss the Merrimack Valley’s contribution to Massachusetts’ growing $1.9 billion robotics industry. Speakers are also scheduled to include UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan; Pamela Goldberg, chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative; Computer Science Prof. Holly Yanco, the NERVE Center’s director and an internationally known robotics expert; and Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch.
Robot demonstrations will include products by Harvest Automation and MITRE Corp., along with the “Rover Hawk,” which was designed and built by UMass Lowell students. Named in honor of the university’s sports teams the River Hawks, the Rover Hawk in June won a national NASA-sponsored competition that asked teams of college students to design and build a Mars rover-style robot and operate it remotely, testing its durability and precision on terrain that mimicked the surface of another planet.
The event is presented by the Merrimack Valley Venture Forum, Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council, Middlesex 3 economic development coalition and UMass Lowell’s NERVE Center.
Where: NERVE Center at UMass Lowell, 1001 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell. For directions and parking information, contact UMass Lowell media relations.