RoboBusiness 2008

I visited RoboBusiness 2008 in Pittsburgh, PA. I couldn't afford the full registration fee, but registered for the exhibition and attended the two "open" lectures. The exhibit was much smaller than I expected, using perhaps 10% of the main exhibition floor of the conference center. About 40 companies and organizations set up booths. Most of them are offering software or hardware components instead of completed robots. Fewer than half of the few completed robots on display were turned-on and demonstrating very basic capabilities.


I expected to see some impressive robots, especially from the universities. But this self-navigating car was representative of the academic showings. Not bad but there's no Wow-factor.


Koreans showed up in force. These Netoy/robots will be put on market later this year.


iRobot shows off their new Gutter Cleaning "Robot". Hmm it has only one single function and employs no AI, is it really a robot? Sadly this qualifies as one of the more interesting display in the exhibit.

There are other robots on display, military robots (primarily bomb disposal by remote control) are big business nowadays, but to me they are boring. The last one worth mentioning are self-navigating robots that picks up and deliver drugs, samples, supplies etc within hospitals. Unimpressive to look at, but at least they are true robots.