TC Sessions: Robotics 2022
July 21, 2022
Speakers
Pieter Abbeel
Co-founder & Chief Scientist Covariant
Kiva Allgood
President & CEO Sarcos Technology & Robotics Corporation
Ayah Bdeir
Entrepreneur littleBits (acquired by Sphero)
Rodney Brooks
Co-founder & CTO Robust.AI
Chiu Chau
Cofounder Opentrons
Kelly Chen
Partner DCVC
Rick Faulk
CEO Locus Robotics
Pramod Ghadge
CEO & Cofounder Unbox Robotics
Ayanna Howard
Founder and CTO Zyrobotics
Jonathan Hurst
Co-founder & Chief Robot Officer Agility Robotics
Matthew Johnson-Roberson
Director, Robotics Institute & Professor, School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University
Dean Kamen
Founder FIRST
Bruce Leak
General Partner & Managing Director Playground Global
Helen H. Liang
Founder & Managing Partner FoundersX Ventures
Kate Ma
CEO & Cofounder Neptune Robotics
Jessica Moran
SVP & General Manager Berkshire Grey
Robert Playter
CEO Boston Dynamics
Joseph Quinlivan
VP Global Robotics, Fulfillment & Information Technology Amazon
Daniela Rus
Director CSAIL, MIT
Faizan Sheikh
CEO & Cofounder Avidbots
Damion Shelton
Co-founder & CEO Agility Robotics
Joyce Sidopoulos
Co-founder & VP, Programs & Community MassRobotics
Clara Vu
Co-founder & CTO Veo Robotics
Secretary Martin Walsh
Secretary of Labor United States Department of Labor
Milo Werner
General Partner Engine Ventures
Garrett Winther
Partner SOSV HAX
Melonee Wise
CTO Agility Robotics
Professor Pieter Abbeel is Director of the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab and Co-Director of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence (BAIR) Lab. Abbeel has founded two companies: Gradescope (AI to help instructors with grading homework and exams) and Covariant (AI for robotic automation of warehouses and factories). Abbeel is founding partner at AIX Ventures, a Venture Capital firm focused on AI start-ups. Abbeel is the host of The Robot Brains podcast, which explores what AI and Robotics can do today and where they are headed, through conversations with the world’s leading AI and Robotics pioneers. Abbeel has received many awards and honors, including the PECASE, NSF-CAREER, ONR-YIP, Darpa-YFA, TR35, IEEE Fellow, ACM Prize in Computing. His work is frequently featured in the press, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, Rolling Stone, Wired, Tech Review and TechCrunch.
Pieter's Sessions
From Cage to Stage: Commercializing AI and Robotics
What does it take to bring a robot or AI process from the lab to market? Learn from experience with The Engine general partner Milo Werner, academic-commercial crossover specialist Joyce Sidopoulos of MassRobotics, and Pieter Abbeel, who splits his time between UC Berkeley and the well-funded AI outfit he founded Covariant.
Kiva Allgood is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation. In this role, she oversees the development and commercialization of Sarcos products and engages with company partners, customers, and investors. Allgood is an experienced technology executive with public company experience leading multi-billion dollar business units with more than 20 years of experience managing the commercialization of complex technologies. Before joining Sarcos, Allgood served as Global Head of IoT and Automotive for Ericsson. She has also previously served as Chief Commercial Development Officer, GE Business Innovations, and as Managing Director, GE Ventures for GE Ventures and Business Innovation, a corporate venture company and innovation group of General Electric Company. Allgood serves on the boards of Synaptics and Airgain, helping them bring innovative technology solutions to market. Allgood earned her MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and her Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University. She was a recipient of the 2018 San Diego Business Woman of the Year award and has been named to the RCR Wireless Top 50 Industrial Innovators and Connected World’s Women of M2M lists.
Kiva's Sessions
Putting Robots to Work
We’ve seen the demos and the viral videos, but moving from research to real world is its own complex journey. The CEOs of Boston Dynamics and Sarcos will discuss the process of bringing their robots to market, from pilot testing to scaling manufacturing.
Ayah Bdeir is the founder and CEO of littleBits, a platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks for children to create inventions, large and small.
Ayah's Sessions
TechCrunch Robotics Pitch-off
The industry’s brightest entrepreneurs will take the stage in front of a live audience and a panel of industry experts, pitching revolutionary technologies.
For 27 years Rodney Brooks was on the faculty at Stanford and MIT, where he was the director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. Since 1984 he has cofounded and built six companies in AI and/or robotics. iRobot has delivered 35 million Roombas. Rethink Robotics pioneered collaborative industrial robot arms. Now, Robust.AI has developed the first collaborative mobile robots, human centered at their core, heading to fulfillment centers and factory floors.
Rodney's Sessions
Shaping Robots, Environments, and People for Harmony
As robots and AI begin to pervade everyday life, we must take lessons from industry and academic research on how to coexist safely and productively. Rod Brooks and Clara Vu both bring years of expertise to the question, and can speak to what’s needed in hardware, software, and beyond to bring the lives of robots and humans closer together.
Chiu Chau is the Co-Founder and former CEO and CTO of Opentrons, an open-source lab automation company. Opentrons is building biosafety infrastructure for low-cost and rapid result testing, including for Covid-19. Opentrons became a unicorn following a $200m round led by Softbank’s Vision Fund 2 in 2021. Chiu is now an active angel investor.
Chiu's Sessions
Pre-seed to Unicorn: Lessons from HAX Robotics Founders
SOSV’s HAX, the hands on early stage investor in hard tech, has been making big bets on robotics for ten years, and today the startup development program is the the most active pre-seed investor in robotics in the world. Join HAX partner Garrett Winther and four HAX founders – ranging from its prolific unicorn Opentrons to its more recent seed and series A stage investments – for robotics founder insights across all stages and geographies.
Kelly is a Partner at DCVC, an early-stage deep tech VC with $3B AUM. An engineer at heart, she invests in teams solving some of the world’s most complex problems in industrials, automation, supply chain, and sustainability. At DCVC, she led investments including Agility Robotics, Fulfil.ai, SafelyYou, SmarTex, and Brimstone. Kelly’s interest has always been how to use data and optimization to push boundaries, faster. From her former career as a quantitative fixed income trader to building out a new product line for a global investment bank, she has focused closely on building the best models, structures, and sales teams to optimize outcomes. Kelly received a BS and MS from Columbia Engineering and an MBA from Wharton, where she was President of the Entrepreneurship Club. In her spare time, Kelly can be found traversing the chilly Bay Area waters on her electric hydrofoil.
Kelly's Sessions
Funding the Future
As funding has dried up for many startups, robotics have weathered the storm quite well. The pandemic has fueled investments in the category as more companies look toward automated solutions, and the trend shows no sign of slowing any time soon.
TechCrunch Robotics Pitch-off
The industry’s brightest entrepreneurs will take the stage in front of a live audience and a panel of industry experts, pitching revolutionary technologies.
Rick leads the executive team with over 30 years of experience in executive management, sales and marketing for some of the world’s most successful technology companies such as Intronis, j2 Global, Barracuda Networks, WebEx, Intranets.com, Lotus Development, Mzinga, and PictureTel. Rick leads the executive team responsible for the overall strategy and execution at Locus Robotics. Rick currently sits on various boards including Influitive, and Hostway and is an advisor to a number of early-stage companies. Past board positions include Yodle, Virtual Computer, Bidding for Good, Skill Survey, BlueRaven and Centive.
Rick's Sessions
The Fulfilling World of Warehouse Robotics
Logistics and fulfillment may well be the hottest category in robotics at the moment. Locus Robotics, Zebra Technologies (Fetch) and Berkshire Grey are helping define the space. Their automation is working to improve delivery times, manage inventory, assist their human counterparts and stay competitive.
Pramod Ghadge is the Co-Founder and CEO of Unbox Robotics, a leading supply chain robotics company specializing in robotics-based fulfillment and distribution technology for small to large e-commerce, retail, and logistics enterprises. It is on a mission to triumph over global supply chain challenges by helping enterprises of all sizes transition to Industry 4.0 via one-of-its-kind vertical robotic parcel sortation and consolidation systems powered by Swarm Intelligence.”
Pramod's Sessions
Pre-seed to Unicorn: Lessons from HAX Robotics Founders
SOSV’s HAX, the hands on early stage investor in hard tech, has been making big bets on robotics for ten years, and today the startup development program is the the most active pre-seed investor in robotics in the world. Join HAX partner Garrett Winther and four HAX founders – ranging from its prolific unicorn Opentrons to its more recent seed and series A stage investments – for robotics founder insights across all stages and geographies.
Accomplished roboticist, entrepreneur and educator Ayanna Howard, PhD, became dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering on March 1, 2021. Previously she was chair of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing, as well as founder and director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab. Her career spans higher education, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the private sector. Dr. Howard is the founder and president of the board of directors of Zyrobotics, a Georgia Tech spin-off company that develops mobile therapy and educational products for children with special needs. Zyrobotics products are based on Dr. Howard’s research. Among many accolades, Forbes named Dr. Howard to its America’s Top 50 Women In Tech list. In May 2021, the Association for Computing Machinery named her the ACM Athena Lecturer in recognition of fundamental contributions to the development of accessible human-robotic systems and artificial intelligence, along with forging new paths to broaden participation in computing. Dr. Howard earned her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Brown University, her master’s degree and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and her MBA from Claremont Graduate University.
Ayanna's Sessions
TechCrunch Robotics Pitch-off
The industry’s brightest entrepreneurs will take the stage in front of a live audience and a panel of industry experts, pitching revolutionary technologies.
Jonathan W. Hurst is the Chief Robot Officer and co-founder of Agility Robotics, as well as a Professor and co-founder of the Oregon State University Robotics Institute. His research aims to enable robots to physically interact with the world and people, focusing on compliance, dexterity, and mobility found in animals. Currently, he works on Physical AI to facilitate complex locomanipulation behaviors, exemplified by Digit, the first commercially deployed humanoid robot in logistics. This effort aims to enhance productivity and improve quality of life by integrating robots into everyday environments.
Jonathan's Sessions
Agility Digit Demo
Agility Robotics cofounders Damion Shelton and Jonathan Hurst will showcase their bipedal fulfillment robot, Digit.
Matthew Johnson-Roberson is the director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and a professor in the School of Computer Science. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney in 2010. He has held prior postdoctoral appointments with the Centre for Autonomous Systems (CAS) at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney. He co-founded Refraction AI, a last-mile autonomous vehicle delivery company. He has worked in robotic perception since the first DARPA grand challenges in the early 2000s, and his group focuses on enabling robots to better see and understand their environment.
Matthew's Sessions
Lab Work
If you’re looking for the bleeding edge of robotics and AI research, you’ve come to the right place. MIT CSAIL head Daniela Rus and CMU’s new head of robotics, Matthew Johnson-Roberson, will join us to discuss how schools are helping redefine robotics.
Dean Kamen is an inventor, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for science and technology. He holds more than 1,000 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. He invented the first wearable infusion pump and founded his first medical device company, AutoSyringe, Inc., soon thereafter, where he pioneered the design and adoption of the first portable insulin pump. Following its sale, he founded DEKA Research & Development Corporation to pursue his own invention interests and to provide R&D for major corporations. In addition to projects developed for his clients, other notable developments include the iBOT™ mobility device and the Segway® Human Transporter. Kamen was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 2000 by President Clinton in recognition of inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide and for innovative and imaginative leadership in awakening America to the excitement of science and technology. Kamen was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1997, awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002 and inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering and many other engineering organizations. In addition to DEKA, one of Dean’s proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. Founded in 1989, FIRST® has served millions of young people around the globe.
Dean's Sessions
Education FIRST
From the Segway to iBot to AutoSyringe, Dean Kamen has made a name as one of the biggest inventors of the past 50 years. In 1989, he decided to give back with the launch of FIRST, an organization that promotes STEM education. He’ll discuss his creations and the work he’s doing to inspire the next generation of inventors.
Bruce Leak is a founding partner at Playground Global. From an early age, his intellectual curiosity led to a fascination with computers and emerging technology, and later informed his career path, which took him from the frontier days of Apple and Microsoft, to entrepreneurship, to his time at Playground investing in complex ideas with the potential to change the world. With more than three decades of tech industry experience, Bruce has made his mark as an engineer, entrepreneur, and investor. His career started at Apple Computers, where he was lead developer for QuickTime and QuickDraw. He later joined General Magic, where his teams achieved many technical breakthroughs and are commonly recognized as the source from which much of today’s smartphone and online communication and commerce technology sprang. Bruce also co-founded WebTV, a company that pioneered internet access via the television. The company was acquired by Microsoft in 1997. In 2005, Bruce co-founded Carrier IQ, an early provider of smart phones diagnostic analytics to the wireless industry. Bruce’s angel investments include Danger (Acquired by Microsoft), Mirra (Acquired by Seagate), and Android (Acquired by Google). After founding several startups selling technology and services to mobile phone operators and automotive OEMs, Bruce co-founded Playground Global. From robotics to quantum computing to groundbreaking medical advancements, Playground’s true north is leaving a lasting impact for generations to come. Bruce currently serves on the Board of Directors of Nauto, Inc., Owl Labs, Inc., uAvionix Corporation, Agility Robotics, Inc., Farmwise Labs, Inc., RapidSOS, and Pandion.
Bruce's Sessions
Funding the Future
As funding has dried up for many startups, robotics have weathered the storm quite well. The pandemic has fueled investments in the category as more companies look toward automated solutions, and the trend shows no sign of slowing any time soon.
Founder & Managing Partner of FoundersX Ventures based in Silicon Valley. Helen has over 10 years of product experience in high-tech industry. She leads a high-performing team investing in founders defining the future and breaking barriers in enterprise SaaS, Fintech and biotech with multiple unicorns and over a dozen high-growth portfolio companies. She is a guest lecturer at Stanford University and an invited speaker at TechCrunch.
Helen's Sessions
Funding the Future
As funding has dried up for many startups, robotics have weathered the storm quite well. The pandemic has fueled investments in the category as more companies look toward automated solutions, and the trend shows no sign of slowing any time soon.
Kate Ma is Co-Founder and CEO of Neptune Robotics. Her team builds robots designed to clean bio-fouling off of the hulls of international cargo ships and bulk carriers, thus reducing friction and improving fuel economy by an average of 15%. Neptune Robotics has already deployed its technology to a number of ports in its native Hong Kong, and large ports in Mainland China, including Ningbo, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Yantian, Shekou, Zhenjiang, Fangcheng and soon Shanghai, the largest container port in the world. Before starting Neptune, Kate studied Mathematics at Imperial College London and LSE. She then became a qualified actuary at Deloitte London. In 2018, she founded Neptune Robotics with Elizabeth and Jacky.
Kate's Sessions
Pre-seed to Unicorn: Lessons from HAX Robotics Founders
SOSV’s HAX, the hands on early stage investor in hard tech, has been making big bets on robotics for ten years, and today the startup development program is the the most active pre-seed investor in robotics in the world. Join HAX partner Garrett Winther and four HAX founders – ranging from its prolific unicorn Opentrons to its more recent seed and series A stage investments – for robotics founder insights across all stages and geographies.
SVP & General Manager at Berkshire Grey, Jessica Moran is dynamic, customer-focused leader with exceptional ability to build and drive unified, highly productive teams that deliver results and build value for the company’s Global 100 retailer and logistics service provider customers. With more than 20 years of technology industry experience in operations, sales and product management, she has a proven track-record in building high-performing teams, strategies, and operations for high-growth B2B robotics and technology businesses. Prior to Berkshire Grey, at Bottomline Technologies Jessica managed a SaaS-based B2B payment network serving over 420,000 businesses and handling over $200 billion in annual transaction volume. As general manager, Jessica engineered programs to drive revenue growth and customer value, successfully extended Bottomline’s reach into new markets, and broadened partnership ventures. She’s also held leadership positions for global organizations including Microsoft, Computer Associates, and Enterasys Networks.
Jessica's Sessions
The Fulfilling World of Warehouse Robotics
Logistics and fulfillment may well be the hottest category in robotics at the moment. Locus Robotics, Zebra Technologies (Fetch) and Berkshire Grey are helping define the space. Their automation is working to improve delivery times, manage inventory, assist their human counterparts and stay competitive.
Dr. Robert Playter is CEO of Boston Dynamics, the world leader in advanced mobile robots. Under his leadership, Boston Dynamics has launched two commercial products: Spot, the first commercial legged robot targeting the market for industrial inspections, and Stretch, a box-moving robot that unloads trailers for more efficient warehouse operations. Playter has spent more than three decades in leadership positions at Boston Dynamics where he launched and led the company’s early work on humanoid robots culminating in the creation of Atlas, the world’s most advanced humanoid robot. Playter also instigated the company’s development of a robot for the warehousing industry, resulting in the creation of Stretch. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Boston Dynamics’ chief operating officer and VP of Engineering where he helped grow the company and prepare for the transition from a pure research organization to a commercial producer of advanced robot products. A former NCAA Division I National Champion gymnast at The Ohio State University, Playter’s athletic career highly influenced his work in robotics. He received his PhD in aeronautical engineering from MIT in 1994, where he worked under Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, at the MIT Leg Lab to develop his thesis on robot gymnastics and program a bipedal robot to do the world’s first 3D robotic somersault. His most rewarding experiences are those that come as a teammate, whether in sports or business.
Robert's Sessions
Putting Robots to Work
We’ve seen the demos and the viral videos, but moving from research to real world is its own complex journey. The CEOs of Boston Dynamics and Sarcos will discuss the process of bringing their robots to market, from pilot testing to scaling manufacturing.
As the Tech VP of Robotics & Fulfillment at Amazon Robotics, Joseph (Joe) Quinlivan has an established track record of building high performing business and technology organizations. Joe is responsible for driving Amazon’s robotics organization forward and by turning complex problems into elegant solutions. Amazon’s robotics makes Amazon faster, smarter and better at providing a consistent customer experience and a safer workplace for its employees. Prior to his role at Amazon, Joe has held numerous other Executive positions including Director of Software for Nexion, Vice President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Global Gateway Business Unit, Vice President of R&D for Lucent and Director of Software Development at Fujitu. Joe has deep technical experience in systems engineering, hardware engineering and software Engineering. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Masters in Science Management form Worcester Polytechnic University and a Masters in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic University. Joe is active in numerous organizations including the Technical Advisors Network (TAN) at WPI as well as a Board member of Robotics at WPI. Joe has acted as a technology advisor to numerous Venture Capital firms in the Boston area.
Joseph's Sessions
Automating Amazon
Amazon’s huge bet on robotics dates back to its 2012 acquisition of Kiva Systems. Over the past decade, it’s a gamble that has paid off immeasurably as the retailer has become the 800 pound gorilla in any conversation about warehouse automation. VP Joseph Quinlivan will discuss what the company is doing to maintain its edge.
Daniela Rus is the Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT, and Deputy Dean of Research in the Schwarzman College of Computing at MIT. Rus’ research interests are in robotics and artificial intelligence. The key focus of her research is to develop the science and engineering of autonomy. Rus is a MacArthur Fellow, a fellow of ACM, AAAI and IEEE, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a senior visiting fellow at MITRE Corporation. She is the recipient of the Engelberger Award for robotics and the IEEE RAS Pioneer award. She earned her PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University.
Daniela's Sessions
Lab Work
If you’re looking for the bleeding edge of robotics and AI research, you’ve come to the right place. MIT CSAIL head Daniela Rus and CMU’s new head of robotics, Matthew Johnson-Roberson, will join us to discuss how schools are helping redefine robotics.
Faizan Sheikh is the CEO and Co-Founder of Avidbots. Faizan has helped develop the Avidbots vision and mission, and he plays a key role with investors and business partners. Avidbots’ fearless leader was born in Pakistan and moved to Canada at the age of 14. He graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Waterloo. After working on a robotics startup in his final year at Waterloo, Faizan would go on to found Avidbots in 2014 with Pablo Molina – a classmate and friend from his university days. Together with Pablo and the team, Faizan has built Avidbots into one of Canada’s fastest-growing robotics companies. When Faizan isn’t working on all-things Avidbots, he’s a green tea connoisseur, indoor gardening buff and loves playing board games with family and friends.
Faizan's Sessions
Pre-seed to Unicorn: Lessons from HAX Robotics Founders
SOSV’s HAX, the hands on early stage investor in hard tech, has been making big bets on robotics for ten years, and today the startup development program is the the most active pre-seed investor in robotics in the world. Join HAX partner Garrett Winther and four HAX founders – ranging from its prolific unicorn Opentrons to its more recent seed and series A stage investments – for robotics founder insights across all stages and geographies.
Damion Shelton is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Agility Robotics, makers of Digit, the first commercially available bipedal robot made for real-world logistics work. Damion is a multifaceted roboticist focused on building automation solutions that solve real world challenges, starting with improving logistics and warehouse operations. Prior to Agility, Damion co-founded threeRivers 3D, where he served as CTO and designer of a low-cost, high-volume laser scanner for novice users in the healthcare space. Damion holds a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Damion's Sessions
Agility Digit Demo
Agility Robotics cofounders Damion Shelton and Jonathan Hurst will showcase their bipedal fulfillment robot, Digit.
Joyce Sidopoulos is the Co-Founder and Vice President for Programs and Community at MassRobotics, whose mission is to enable and grow the next generation of robotics companies. She develops high impact programs for the robotics ecosystem, highlighting startups technology, matching startups with potential funders and customers, engaging with tech sectors who benefit from robotics adoption, connecting students and talent to potential employers and working with academia to commercialize research. Previously she was the Innovation & Robotics Community Manager for the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, promoting robotics, facilitating dialogue and partnership between Robotics companies, technologists, and academia, and working initiatives to expand the breadth and depth of the robotics ecosystem in MA and the New England region, which helped lead to the founding of MassRobotics. In addition, she co-founded Robots.jobs as a talent marketplace focused on matching robotics and AI company’s opportunities with jobseekers. Prior experience includes 14 years of civil service with the USN’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center where she held positions as Chief Scientist for Acoustic Performance Prediction System, Systems & Test Engineer, and Sonar Systems Analyst/Engineer. She has held senior Business Development and Engineering & Technical Resource Manager roles at General Dynamics and other defense contractors. She has served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for AFCEA, Lexington Concord Chapter for over 18 years and has held positions including President and Chairman of the Board and served on the AFCEA International Board 2019-2021. She holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.
Joyce's Sessions
From Cage to Stage: Commercializing AI and Robotics
What does it take to bring a robot or AI process from the lab to market? Learn from experience with The Engine general partner Milo Werner, academic-commercial crossover specialist Joyce Sidopoulos of MassRobotics, and Pieter Abbeel, who splits his time between UC Berkeley and the well-funded AI outfit he founded Covariant.
Clara Vu is the co-founder and CTO at Veo Robotics, the industrial automation company that created FreeMove®, a comprehensive 3D safeguarding system for industrial robots that powers dynamic human-robot collaboration. She leads the engineering team and supports developments with Veo’s computer vision-powered sensing and intelligence that is used today by four of the biggest industrial robot companies in the world: FANUC, Yaskawa, ABB, and Kuka. With over two decades of experience in robotics, Clara has developed multiple products from inception to market. Clara started her career at iRobot programming robots for oil well exploration; she then moved on to interactive toys and the Roomba. Prior to Veo, Clara was co-founder and director of software development for Harvest Automation, the makers of mobile robots for agricultural automation. Before that, Clara was a product management consultant at Rethink Robotics, where she first met Veo co-founder Patrick Sobalvarro.
Clara's Sessions
Shaping Robots, Environments, and People for Harmony
As robots and AI begin to pervade everyday life, we must take lessons from industry and academic research on how to coexist safely and productively. Rod Brooks and Clara Vu both bring years of expertise to the question, and can speak to what’s needed in hardware, software, and beyond to bring the lives of robots and humans closer together.
Martin J. Walsh was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Labor on March 23, 2021. A lifelong champion of equity and fairness, and a proud product of the City of Boston, Secretary Walsh leads the U.S. Department of Labor with a strong connection to working people, and a commitment to creating an economy that works for all. In 1997, he was elected to serve as a State Representative for one of the most diverse districts in Massachusetts. There, he focused on creating good jobs, protecting workers’ rights, expanding mental health treatment, and investing in public transit. Following his time as a State Representative, Secretary Walsh spent the last seven years as the Mayor of the City of Boston. While mayor, he led the creation of close to 140,000 jobs and helped secure a statewide $15/hour minimum wage, paid sick leave, and paid parental leave. He established Universal, high-quality Pre-Kindergarten for all children, and free community college for low-income students. Secretary Walsh was a national leader in the response to COVID-19, getting PPE to first responders and nursing homes; funding emergency child care for healthcare and frontline workers; halting evictions and providing rental relief; and setting up multiple funds to help small businesses survive. His work early in the pandemic to pause construction and establish safety requirements has been lauded as a model by both unions and employers alike. As Mayor of Boston, Secretary Walsh also made his mark as a labor leader. After following his father into Laborers Local 223 in Boston, he rose to head the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013. He worked with business and community leaders to promote high-quality development, and he created a program called Building Pathways that has become a model for increasing diversity in the workplace and providing good career opportunities for women and people of color. Born and raised in the neighborhood of Dorchester by immigrant parents, Secretary Walsh is driven to ensure our nation’s economy works for everyone. Secretary Walsh is a survivor of Burkitt lymphoma and is a proud member of the recovery community who has worked to expand addiction treatment throughout his career. While working full-time as a legislator, he returned to school to earn a degree in Political Science at Boston College.
Secretary Martin's Sessions
The Changing Face of Work
Robotics are set to profoundly impact the future of how America works. Automation is an inevitability, but is the U.S. truly prepared for the coming impact? Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will discuss what employers and regulators need to do to brace for these radical changes.
Milo Werner is a General Partner at The Engine. She serves as a Board Member for Mori, Atlantic Quantum and Foundation Alloy. Previously, she was at Ajax Strategies where she was a Partner, leading mid-stage investments across energy, transportation, agriculture and industrial applications. Milo joined Tesla in 2007, at a critical stage in the company’s trajectory, where she led New Production Introduction, launching Model S powertrain (battery, drive unit, and all the stuff in between), dual motor, drivers assist and, most importantly, Model X. The company grew from 200 to 12,000 during her tenure. In addition to Tesla, Milo ran New Product Introduction at Fitbit, launching four factories in China and transitioning the company to fully automated production, and led engineering and product for micro-grid company Zola, a startup providing distributed energy to over a million families in Sub Saharan Africa. Milo earned a B.S. in Geology and Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Vermont, as well as a MS in Civil Engineering and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She sits on the boards of the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, AxelHire, Infinitum Electric and is a Board Observer for Lime.
Milo's Sessions
From Cage to Stage: Commercializing AI and Robotics
What does it take to bring a robot or AI process from the lab to market? Learn from experience with The Engine general partner Milo Werner, academic-commercial crossover specialist Joyce Sidopoulos of MassRobotics, and Pieter Abbeel, who splits his time between UC Berkeley and the well-funded AI outfit he founded Covariant.
Garrett Winther is a partner and program director at HAX, SOSV’s venture program for hard tech. An engineer by training, venture builder by trade, he is bringing hard-tech ventures to life at SOSV, IDEO and MIT.
Garrett's Sessions
Pre-seed to Unicorn: Lessons from HAX Robotics Founders
SOSV’s HAX, the hands on early stage investor in hard tech, has been making big bets on robotics for ten years, and today the startup development program is the the most active pre-seed investor in robotics in the world. Join HAX partner Garrett Winther and four HAX founders – ranging from its prolific unicorn Opentrons to its more recent seed and series A stage investments – for robotics founder insights across all stages and geographies.
Melonee Wise is the CTO of Agility Robotics. Melonee has a deep history in developing autonomous robots and advancing the robotics industry as we know it today. Prior to joining Agility in 2023, Melonee was the Vice President of Robotics Automation at Zebra Technologies. She was CEO of Fetch Robotics until its acquisition by Zebra Technologies in 2021. Melonee was the second employee at Willow Garage where she led a team of engineers developing next-generation robot hardware and software, including ROS, the PR2, and TurtleBot. Melonee serves as the Chair of the IFR Service Robot Group, as a robotics board member for A3, and on the MHI Roundtable Advisory Committee. Melonee has received many accolades and awards including the MIT Technology Review TR35, Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Women of Influence and 40 Under 40, Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 2021 Supply Chain Woman of the Year, the 2022 Engelberger award, and as one of eight CEOs changing the way we work by Business Insider. Melonee received a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Physics Engineering and a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.
Melonee's Sessions
The Fulfilling World of Warehouse Robotics
Logistics and fulfillment may well be the hottest category in robotics at the moment. Locus Robotics, Zebra Technologies (Fetch) and Berkshire Grey are helping define the space. Their automation is working to improve delivery times, manage inventory, assist their human counterparts and stay competitive.