ANN ARBOR – The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Defense Center and SoarTech will host a Michigan Robotics Day on April 12 at NCMS headquarters in Ann Arbor.

The event will showcase innovations and demonstrations in robotics and the program will include presentations from robotics industry luminaries as well as the region?s brightest robotics students. This event will be a celebration of the advances made by robotics companies and the growth of Michigan?s robotics technology sector, along with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in Michigan.

?Michigan is positioned to be a global leader in robotics innovation based on the talent and infrastructure that already exists here in the state,? said NCMS President & CEO Rick Jarman. ?Design and deployment of robotics technology will ultimately depend on advanced manufacturing – exactly the kind of capability in which Michigan companies excel. Our day long event will highlight the robotics successes in Michigan, confirming the region as an economic development engine for the State.?

Dr. Jim Overholt, Chief Scientist for Robotics with the United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), in Warren, Michigan will present the keynote address. Overholt is a recognized leader in the field of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, with over 25-years of experience in military robotics. Dr. Overholt earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Lawrence Technological University and a master and doctorate in systems engineering from Oakland University.

?When someone says ‘ROBOT’, many think of automated assembly lines or the stuff of some science fiction movie like The Terminator. But the reality is much more practical. We need to start thinking of the robotics discipline less as a replacement for people and more as an enabling technology that further national and regional goals. Things like energy efficiency and fuel economy,? said Sara Blackmer, of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. ?Federal agencies are looking for ways to smartly achieve these goals, and it is significant that the Defense of Department located their Chief Ground Robotics Scientist right in the middle of the nation?s premiere automotive and advanced manufacturing resources. He sees part of his mission as leveraging regional excellence to raise ground robotics reliability and strategically insert autonomous technologies to help solve tough challenges.?

The program will feature a panel of prominent local roboticists representing the defense, transportation, industrial, entrepreneurial, medical, and agriculture sectors – highlighting Michigan industry and its growing role in robotics. Also on the agenda is demonstration of the award-winning Multi Autonomous Ground-Robotic International Challenge (MAGIC) technology developed by Assistant Professor Ed Olsen and his team at the University of Michigan,, The demonstration will be webcast and followed with a panel discussion for the school robotics teams in attendance, highlighting the importance of STEM education and the next generation of robotics and roboticists.

?STEM is crucial to helping grow robotics in Michigan,? said Andrew Dallas Vice President, Federal Systems, SoarTech. ?Students can participate on robotics teams in high school, do ground-breaking research at our universities, and work in this growing industry. In fact, the future of robotics in Michigan is really bright. We have the knowledge, we have the infrastructure and the drive to make this state a global leader.?

The event will conclude with a demonstration of high school robotics teams and an informal networking and feedback from the industry panel experts.

Attendance is free and open to the public. The event takes place on April 12 starting at 9:00 a.m. Attendee registration, webcast information, agenda, and speaker bios for this event are available at Mirobotics.Org

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