An interdisciplinary team at Arizona State University has revived the Southwest Robotics Symposium, bringing back the event for the first time in four years. The team’s work is part of ongoing efforts to make the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering a go-to destination for excellence in robotics.
Once a mainstay for southwestern academics and industry professionals, the conference went into hiatus in 2020 in the wake of COVID-19-related lockdowns. Historically, the symposium was an important juncture for robotics researchers to showcase hardware and software, and for students to make career-building connections.
The two-day event was held earlier this month on the Tempe campus in the Memorial Union. More than 600 people registered for the symposium, including a 28-person cohort from the Brandeis National Committee, who attended to investigate how robotics might be impactful for social work.
Nakul Gopalan, an assistant professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, served as a co-general chair of the symposium. He says networking is crucial to fostering a sense of community among researchers and encouraging students.
“Events like these are important for researchers because they create opportunities to explore collaborations that can lead to real advancements,” Gopalan says. “For students, having work seen by industry professionals can be a hugely beneficial career builder.”
The symposium explored the theme “Robotics for Social Good,” inviting attendees to examine how robotics can and will provide positive, global benefits — especially in the medical sector.
Read the full story on Full Circle.