A weeklong series of regional activities and events would be conducted during the second annual National Robotics Week, which is to be held from the 9th of April to the 17th of April, with an aim to increase public awareness on the importance of robo-technology and also the extraordinary cultural and social impact it would have on the future, with respect to the way people would play, work and live all over the world.
This week is celebrated on the second week of April every year for recognizing robotic technology as the most important innovation of the 21st century.
The events would be held in Boston, in the National Mall in D.C. and in Palo Alto offering several opportunities for the public to mingle with the robots. Introductory courses on robotics for kids, panel discussions, educational workshops, robotics competitions, and tours and demos of innovative laboratories would be conducted, which would give insights into the world of robotics. The National Robotics Week was initially conceptualized in the month of May 2009 by a group of companies and leading universities, where a national roadmap for the robotics technology was unveiled. The congress passed a formal resolution on March 9th of 2010 for the robotics week.
According to the US representative Mike Doyle, the robotics week remains a runaway success and provides a hands-on opportunity for students to gain knowledge on technology, science, math and engineering. This year’s events are being organized by iRobot & The Technology Collaborative. It is being coordinated by the National Robotics Week Advisory Council. Many others such as the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Adept Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, FIRST, Carnegie Science Center of Pittsburgh, Massachusetts Technology, Robotic Industries Association, Museum of Science and Industry are also involved in the events.
A wide range of applications and products in diverse fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, national defense and security, transportation and agriculture would be fueled by the Robotics technology. Moreover, robotics is also a great tool for inspiring students to gain insights into important STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts. iRobot’s CEO and Chairman, Colin Angle has commented that robotics is one of the most valuable aids for teaching the fundamental STEM concepts. He further added that his company was privileged to be a part of this initiative.
Source: http://www.nationalroboticsweek.org