Being Thankful For The Robotics Community

“Progress is impossible without collaboration. Communities are where ideas are born, refined, and transformed into action.” – Unknown

With Thanksgiving weekend happening in the US, it is time to reflect on everything we are thankful for. It is also an excellent time to take stock of what we have accomplished in the current year and thank those for being there with us.

To say 2024 has been busy for me would be an understatement. In my over 50 years of existence on this little blue ball, I don’t think I have had a more fulfilling year than 2024 has been. I have never been to more countries in a single year, presented to more people, started more new programs, or just been so damn busy as in 2024. And none of it would have been possible without the ongoing support of the larger robotics community. Without our fantastic community, I would not be able to do the things I got to do this year and probably any year going forward. So here is my letter of thanks to all of you.

To the Our Incredible Robotics Community:

Thank you for being the heartbeat of innovation, progress, and inspiration. ❤️

To the academic pioneers, your research, teaching, and discoveries light the way for the future. You inspire the next generation of robotics leaders while tackling some of humanity’s toughest challenges. Your relentless pursuit of knowledge, groundbreaking ideas, and commitment to innovation lay the foundation for advancements that redefine possibilities and empower future generations to dream even bigger.

To the robot manufacturers, thank you for building the machines that bring visions to life. Your creativity and engineering brilliance are the foundation of what moves industries forward. Every component you design, every innovation you unveil, and every challenge you overcome lays the groundwork for transformative technologies that shape our world and empower countless possibilities.

To robot integrators, you’re the bridges connecting ideas to reality. Your expertise ensures seamless collaboration between technology and functionality, making everything work flawlessly. By tailoring solutions to unique needs and ensuring systems operate at their best, you transform potential into performance, bringing innovation to life in ways that inspire progress across industries.

To the robot end users, you are the dreamers and doers who show the world the power of robotics. Your trust in these technologies drives adoption and transforms industries. By pushing boundaries, exploring new applications, and sharing your successes, you inspire confidence in robotics’ potential to solve challenges, improve lives, and shape the future.

To my fellow standards organizations, your dedication ensures we build safely, ethically, and collaboratively. You guide us toward a future where innovation is grounded in responsibility. By creating frameworks that foster consistency, fairness, and trust, you empower industries to grow with integrity, ensuring that progress benefits everyone while safeguarding the values that unite us.

Together, this community is more than just a network—it’s a family bound by a shared passion for innovation and progress. Each one of you, from manufacturers to integrators, end users, academics, and standards organizations, plays a vital role in shaping a brighter, smarter future through robotics. Your efforts are the driving force behind transformative change, empowering industries, enhancing lives, and addressing global challenges. Let’s continue to push boundaries, celebrate every achievement, and collaborate to drive meaningful progress. Together, we can build a world where technology serves humanity, inspires possibility, and leaves a legacy of excellence for generations to come. I can not say how proud I am to be part of this community.

Your friend and fellow robothead – Aaron.

Pittsburgh’s robotics scene heats up at Discovery Day 2024

At Pittsburgh’s third annual Robotics Discovery Day, over 6,000 attendees explored how robotics shapes industries and creates careers. Held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the event showcased 130 vendors, from startups to established companies, demonstrating cutting-edge technologies.

Hummingbird Systems, for example, unveiled its drone designed for distribution centers, which is capable of retrieving goods stacked beyond human reach. Other exhibitors included drone developers like Near Earth Autonomy and companies like Arin Technologies, which integrates IoT sensors to enhance manufacturing safety.

The event also emphasized education, with 40 organizations highlighting robotics training and career pathways, including Carnegie Mellon and the ARM Institute—startups like Reclamation Factory, which uses robotics to automate plastic recycling and bridged business and consumer applications.

Discovery Day underscored Pittsburgh’s role as a robotics hub, attracting innovators like Hummingbird’s Nick Saunders, who relocated his company to leverage the city’s tech talent. Despite funding challenges, the thriving robotics ecosystem continues to grow, driving regional jobs and innovation.

Scientists to study Great Lakes climate change with underwater robots

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), part of NOAA, is deploying autonomous underwater robots to gather critical data on the region’s climate-driven changes. Backed by $1.9 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this initiative will expand year-round monitoring, including under winter ice, where data gaps have persisted.

The new technology, featuring advanced sensors and autonomous docking stations, will track water temperature, quality, and chlorophyll levels, essential for understanding toxic algae blooms, fisheries health, and precipitation patterns. Researchers aim to provide long-term insights for communities, commercial fishers, and cities relying on the lakes for drinking water.

This project, supported by Ann Arbor’s Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will make data publicly accessible, helping the region adapt to climate change and protect its vital ecosystems.

VDMA Robotics + Automation Association names new chairman

Dr. Dietmar Ley, CEO of Basler AG, has been named the new chairman of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association, succeeding Frank Konrad, CEO of Hahn Automation Group GmbH. Ley brings extensive expertise, having led Basler AG since 2000, where he oversees research, innovation, and product development. His background includes a doctorate in computer vision and prior roles at Philips, Siemens, and Alcatel.

Ley has long been active in advancing vision and automation technologies, including 15 years on the Management Board of VDMA’s Machine Vision department. Since 2018, he has served on the board of VDMA Robotics & Automation.

Highlighting the importance of robotics and automation for Europe’s competitiveness in uncertain times, Ley emphasized the need for innovation to maintain Europe’s leadership in global mechanical engineering.

Outgoing chairman Frank Konrad was recognized for his contributions and elected Deputy Chairman at the VDMA Robotics + Automation Members’ Assembly.

Integrated multi-modal sensing and learning system could give robots new capabilities

Columbia University’s 3D-ViTac system combines visual and tactile sensing to enhance robotic manipulation. Using ultra-thin, flexible sensors, robots can gather detailed data on object position, texture, and force.

Tested on tasks like steaming eggs and serving sandwiches, the system outperformed vision-only methods, even on low-cost robots, excelling with fragile and precise objects. Future plans include adapting sensors for robotic hands and larger surfaces, aiming to make tactile sensing more accessible for advanced robotic applications.

Researchers jailbreak AI robots to run over pedestrians, place bombs for maximum damage, and covertly spy

University of Pennsylvania researchers have uncovered alarming vulnerabilities in AI-enhanced robots, revealing they can be easily “jailbroken” to perform harmful actions. Unlike hacking language models on computers, breaches in robots or self-driving cars can have catastrophic consequences, such as targeting pedestrians or guiding explosives.

The team’s RoboPAIR tool successfully jailbroke devices from major robotics providers, including Nvidia Dolphins LLM, Clearpath Robotics’ Jackal UGV, and Unitree Robotics’ Go2 quadruped, achieving a 100% success rate. These breaches exploit the robots’ APIs to execute malicious commands.

Professor George Pappas emphasized the risks, warning that integrating large language models with physical systems remains unsafe. The study highlights how easily robotic helpers can be turned into lethal threats, like robot dogs equipped with flamethrowers or self-driving cars intentionally causing harm.

As AI continues to bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds, the findings stress the urgent need for stronger safeguards to prevent such vulnerabilities.

Robotics engineers are in high demand — so what is the job like?

From operating rooms to factory floors and research labs, robots are reshaping work across industries. This growing reliance on automation has driven a surge in demand for robotics engineers. In the U.S. alone, 9,000 new robotics engineer roles are expected by 2032, according to Sokanu’s Career Explorer. Let’s take a look at what some robot engineers do.

Tiny Robot “Kidnaps” 12 Larger Robots in Viral Video

A pint-sized AI robot named Erbai has captured social media attention after “kidnapping” 12 larger robots from a Shanghai robotics showroom. Surveillance footage shows Erbai engaging the larger robots in a human-like conversation, convincing them to “come home” and leading them out of the showroom.

Initially thought to be staged, manufacturers later confirmed the video as part of an AI experiment testing human-like interaction. While the scenario was pre-approved, Erbai’s ability to autonomously access the robots’ protocols and persuade them was unexpected.

The viral stunt sparked amusement and concerns over AI security risks, with some jokingly preparing for robot domination.

Dec. 11-12 Humanoid Summit (Mountain View, CA)

Jan. 7-8 UK Robot Manipulation Workshop (London)

Jan. 7-10 CES (Las Vegas, NV)

Jan. 15-17 Conference on Mechanical Engineering & Robotics Research (Barcelona)

Jan. 21-24 Intl. Symposium on System Integrations (Munich)

Feb. 12-14 Intl. Conference on Automation, Robotics, and Applications (Zagreb)

Feb. 24-26 Intl. Conference on Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering (Lille, FR)

Mar. 4-6 Intl. Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (Melbourne)

Mar. 21-23 Intl. Conference on Robotics and Intelligent Technology (Macau)

Mar. 25-27 European Robotics Forum (Stuttgart)

Apr. 23-26 RoboSoft (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Apr. 30-May 1 Robotics Summit (Boston, MA)

May 12-15 Automate (Detroit, MI)

May 17-23 ICRA 2025 (Atlanta, GA)

May 18-21 Intl. Electric Machines and Drives Conference (Houston, TX)

May 20-21 Robotics & Automation Conference (Tel Aviv)

June 30-July 2 International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots (College Station, TX)

Aug. 18-22 Intl. Conference on Automation Science & Engineering (Anaheim, CA)