Museum of Science and Industry

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Join us April 7-15 for a Robot Block Party at MSI! To celebrate National Robotics Week 2012, we will be demonstrating several different kinds of robots from the U.S. and Japan, offering lectures from some of the top university robotics scholars and presenting special workshops and hands-on activities. 

All activities are included in general Museum admission. Times, locations and availability are subject to change.

Robot Block Party on Twitter

Share your National Robotics Week experience at @msichicago with #Roboweek and #MSIbot.

Daily events (April 7-15)

Available at times throughout the day:

• Recon Scout XT (a.k.a.Throwbot): The Scout is designed for video reconnaissance on a variety of terrain both indoors and out. Weighing just 1.2 pounds, it's easy to carry and throw where you need it to go. Watch it handle the obstacle course in the Robotarium (see below).
• TOPY Anie II: A telepresence robot designed for navigating narrow spaces like crawlspaces, utility pipes and the maze of the Robotarium (see below), the Anie II can perform inspections and high-risk work in extreme environments.
• Paro: Looking more like a stuffed animal than a robot, Paro is a soft, furry seal that has helped reduce stress for hospital and nursing home patients. Paro has five different sensors that allow him to perceive people, and varying emotions and environments. He also recognizes voice direction—responding to different names, greetings and praise.
• Anybot QB2: A mobile telepresence robot, the Anybot adds remote-controlled mobility to videoconferencing, creating what is really "the next best thing to being there."
• The Robotarium: See the Scout XT and Anie II robots in action in our rugged robot playground. Up top, there are ramps, obstacles and tunnels for the Scout XT to explore; down below, it's a maze for the TOPY Anie II to navigate. Both can be driven by remote control, with the help of on-board cameras.
• And more: Our facilitators will present even more robots from our collection and from the leading edge of robotics.
  
  

Saturday, April 14: Big 'Bot Blow-out!

Join us for presentations by some of the top minds in the field, more robots and their creators, and even sporting events! The day includes the daily events (see "Daily events" above) plus the following:

Presentations by university students doing cutting-edge research in robotics
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. (Auditorium)

• Lauren Miller (Northwestern University): Biological Systems as Inspiration for Autonomous Robotics
• Dave Rollinson (Carnegie Mellon University): Snake Robots at Carnegie Mellon: Research and Applications
  
• Matthew Tesch (Carnegie Mellon University): Learning to Overcome Challenges from the Field
• Arash Kalantari (Illinois Institute of Technology): Challenges in Building Bio-Inspired Flying Robots
• Meagan John and Quillan Kaseman (Rice University): We, Robot: Multi-Robot Algorithms
• Andrew Wilson (Northwestern University): Engineering Robotic Prosthetics for the Human Arm

Presentations by university professors doing cutting-edge research in robotics
2 - 3:30 p.m. (Auditorium)

• Howie Choset (Carnegie Mellon University): The Wide World of Snake Robots
• Matthew Spenko (Illinois Institute of Technology): How to Rebel Against Your Future Robot Overlords
• Todd Murphey (Northwestern University): Making Marionettes Move
• James McLurkin (Rice University): The Future of Robotics is Swarms: Why Multi-Robot Systems are the Future of a Futuristic Field.
  

BotBall Competition and Awards
All day (West Pavilion)

Student Robotics Teams: Robot Demonstrations
All day

More robots! (Most are here Sunday, too.) (available at times throughout the day)

• Recon Scout XT: See "Daily events" above.
• TOPY Anie II: See "Daily events" above.
• Paro: See "Daily events" above.
• Anybot QB2: See "Daily events" above.
• The Robotarium: See "Daily events" above.
• Cubelets: Build your own robot by combining these small, magnetic blocks together! Due to the various sensors and logic patterns built into each block, no complex wiring or programming education is needed to create a robot that can drive around a tabletop or respond to light, sound and temperature.
• Palro: This humanoid robot can see, hear and walk. Palro is, well, your pal, and by making eye contact with you, can recognize your face, learn your name and have a complete conversation!
• Plus: the CMU Snakebot, the IIT Omnidirectional Vehicle (ODV) and more!

Sunday, April 15

Includes the daily events (see "Daily events" above) plus the following:

BotBall Team Demos
All day (West Pavilion)

Student Robotics Teams: Robot Demonstrations
All day

Robots! (available at times throughout the day)

• Recon Scout XT: See "Daily events" above.
• TOPY Anie II: See "Daily events" above.
• Paro: See "Daily events" above.
• The Robotarium: See "Daily events" above.
• Anybot QB2: See "Daily events" above.
• Cubelets: See Saturday, April 14.
• Palro: See Saturday, April 14.
• Zeno: See Saturday, April 14.
• Plus: the CMU Snakebot, the IIT Omnidirectional Vehicle (ODV) and more!
  
  

Events nationwide

For a full listing of National Robotics Week events from around the country and an extensive inventory of robotics-related resources and information, please visit www.nationalroboticsweek.org, twitter.com/roboweek or facebook.com/roboweek.