Robolift11, the present and future of robotics

Posted: February 23rd, 2011 | No Comments »

Lyon, March 23-25, 2012

After years of hype and crazy expectations, robots are ready to become an integral part of our life. Whether they are intended for care, education, or war, they can not be ignored anymore. Although robots did not show up under the humanoid form most of us expected, they represent a market estimated to 25b$ in 2010, 66b$ in 2025! The Googles and Microsofts of robotics are currently emerging, small startups scattered all around the globe in Europe, Asia and America.

Robolift is your chance to catch this revolution early, while opportunities are still open and up for grab. The conference will explore two key aspects of robotics. First, today’s reality. What are the best projects emerging in the different fields of robotics? What is the legal and ethical framework? How can we interact with robots, and how can we have them convey emotions? What is the place of robots in society, will they help us or put us out of work?

The second part of the program will be more prospective, exploring the big questions to be answered in the years ahead. What shape will robots take in the future? Can you teach a robot to learn and become independent? Can robots be hacked and repurposed? Should machines have a moral sense? Will we one day see a robot able to talk to humans?

A lot of big questions that will be addressed by today’s most prominent researchers, entrepreneurs and designers of the industry. Among them

Wendell Wallach


A consultant and scholar at Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Wendell Wallach is interested in the prospects for implementing moral decision making capabilities in computers and robots.

Cynthia Breazeal


Cynthia Breazeal is an Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she founded and directs the Personal Robots Group at the Media Lab.

Tandy Trower


The original Project Manager for Microsoft Windows, Tandy Trower has moved to robotics and recently started Hoaloha Robotics a new venture focused on robotic solutions for assistive care.

Patrizia Marti


Patrizia Marti is Assistant Professor and senior researcher at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Siena where she teaches Human Computer Interaction and Design of Learning Technologies

The conference will be organized inside the Innorobo salon, so Robolift participants can not only listen to great ideas and meet the people behind them, but also play with hundreds of robots presented by the key players of the industry.

The full information on the conference can be found on the event’s website located on liftconference.com/robolift11.

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