They come from all walks of life. Some work on factory floors or in warehouses. Others hang out in your home, doing menial tasks or trying to engage you on a social level. Yet others attach to your body and help you walk better or do rehabilitation exercises.
New England has a distinguished history in robotics. But never before have its present and future been more compelling—thanks to faster and cheaper computers, more accessible sensors and actuators, advances in software and artificial intelligence, and the favorable winds of business and investment trends.
Indeed, it seems like a great time to build a robotics company. And there isn’t one best way to do it. But by looking at the different approaches of startups and bigger companies around town, you can get a sense of what’s working, and what still needs work.
The slideshow above highlights a number of these efforts, and it represents the future of robots as envisioned by local leaders and top researchers. You can see most of these robots up close, and meet their creators, at Xconomy’s star-studded Robo Madness Boston conference on Wednesday, March 11, at Google in Kendall Square.
It’s shaping up to be one of the best forums in recent robotics history (full agenda here), if I do say so myself. We hope to see you all there as we map out the future of robotics—and discuss the role of Boston’s ecosystem in all of the above.
