Academic, industry and government officials say this week that they discussed current robotics projects and future opportunities for southeastern Michigan at the Michigan Robotics and Autonomous Technologies Conference.

 

Around 60 robotic researchers from Michigan Universities were set to showcase their projects at the Aug. 11 event. The speakers and participants at the Conference will include: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin; Rep. John Dingell; Dave Munsen, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering; Col. James Braden, project manager in the U.S. Army’s Robotic Systems Joint Project Office; Grace Bochenek, director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center; Helen Greiner, founder and chairman of iRobot; and Galip Ulsoy, William Clay Ford Professor of Manufacturing at U-M and director of Ground Robotics Research Center.

 

Representatives from around 15 companies were expected to part in the conference. These include Toyota, Ford Motor Co., iRobot and John Deere. Researchers from the following universities will present their work: Michigan State University; Michigan Technological University; University of Detroit-Mercy; University of Michigan- Ann Arbor; University of Michigan-Dearborn; and Wayne State University.

 

Since the Army moved its ground robotics activities from Alabama to the Detroit Arsenal, organizers say, there has been an increased demand for research in the area. In order to meet this need, U-M and the College of Engineering have formed a new Ground Robotics Research Center and a Master of Engineering degree in unmanned ground vehicles and robotics, company officials say. This degree will be offered for the first time this fall. The college has also created 5,000 square feet of new robotic lab space.

 

Transporting cargo, surveillance, unmanned defense, de-activating mines and rescue operations are the areas in which the military uses robotics devices, officials say. The robotics technology is also being used in the auto industry, company officials say, as sensors and autonomous technology will be able to improve safety and fuel economy.

 

According to Ulsoy, “For the automotive industry, instead of trying to protect the person who is involved in a crash, we can try to prevent the crash in the first place with vision systems and sensors that alert the driver or take other actions.”