Brown hosting second annual robot block party

PROVIDENCE – Walking, talking and flying robots will descend on the Pizzitola Sports Center at Brown University this weekend for the second annual Robot Block Party.
The event will be held Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., and will feature more than 40 exhibitors demonstrating robot technologies.
The family-friendly event is free, and will feature robotics demonstrations and exhibits from universities, industry, community organizations and school groups from around the state.
Co-sponsored by Brown’s Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative and the nonprofit Rhode Island Students of the Future, the event is part of National Robotics Week, April 4 through 12.
“Robotics technology will fuel a broad array of products and solutions in manufacturing, health care, agriculture, national defense, and transportation,” Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, honorary chair of the event, said in a statement. “Robots are also an engaging way for young students to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math. The second annual Robot Block Party is a fun way to build the skills that prepare our students for the 21st century workforce.”
Brown Robotics Lab researchers will demonstrate technologies that they have developed to allow people to control robots, drones and other robotic devices over the Web. Planetary scientists from Brown also will discuss robotic exploration of other planets, such as NASA’s Curiosity Rover on Mars.
Exhibitors from New England Institute of Technology, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University and Salve Regina University also will attend.
University of Rhode Island researchers will display a “flapping fin robot” they helped create, along with an autonomous kayak used to do research in Narragansett Bay.
Stephen Licht, assistant professor of ocean engineering at URI, is bringing the “flapping fin robot” that he helped to design at iRobot Corp.; it is based on the movement of a sea turtle’s flipper. It has been tested for use in detecting unexploded ordinance and sea mines in shallow waters.
Licht’s exhibit also will feature two robots that he purchased last year with funds from the R.I. Science and Technology Advisory Council for use in mapping algae blooms in Narragansett Bay. It’s a job previously conducted by helicopters, but Licht’s drones can accomplish the task at a fraction of the cost, according to information from URI.

“We’ve also got proposals out to use flying robots to map active volcanoes in Ecuador and Indonesia and to collect water samples from catchment ponds for storm water run-off that might otherwise be hard to get to,” said Licht, who directs the Robotics Laboratory for Complex Underwater Environments at URI. “Around the U.S., drones have been used for everything from monitoring mountain roads for avalanche damage to mapping corn growth patterns on large farms. They have the potential to provide extraordinary benefits.”

While no tickets are required to attend the block party, those interested in attending are encouraged to register online HERE.

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