Next week, on 13th-15th March 2018, in Tampere, Finland, will take place the European Robotics Forum (ERF2018), the most influential meeting of the robotics community in Europe.
Under the theme “Robots and Us”, ERF2018 covers current societal and technical themes related to the field of robotics. Interesting subjects will be discussed, including human-robot-collaboration and how robotics can improve industrial productivity and service sector operations. Researchers, engineers, managers, and a growing number of entrepreneurs, business people, and public funding officers from all over Europe come together to discuss technology push and market pull and how innovation in robotics can be accelerated. This unique robotics event will offer over 50 information-filled workshops with presentations where exhibitors will showcase their prototypes, products, and services, and attendees will get to know the most advanced European robotics industry, research institutes and projects.
On March 14th, Ab.Acus, together with the other partners of the H2020 REELER project, will run a workshop to increase the understanding of cultural, legal, and ethical aspects that may limit the market viability or affect technical solutions.
As a matter of fact, one of the main barriers to technological advancement is that in many research projects all efforts are placed in the creation of a highly advanced product from an engineering point of view with limited attention to end users and main stakeholders. In recent years, to make the most of the design resources and to use the new technological tools for the creation of useful products, collaborative-learning is increasingly gaining ground. Customers, end-users, potential suppliers, manufacturers, etc. are involved early in the design process. However, robotics span many, heterogeneous fields. To enhance chances of success, affected stakeholders must be considered more and more. Arguably, there are legal and ethical constraints possibly already in place, which are often specific to countries. Moreover, there are cultural aspects varying from market to market which need to be considered.
Ab.Acus workshop brings together (visions of) roboticists, policy makers, potential customers, and other stakeholders –in the form of ‘actors’ in a “cards game”- to explore and fathom the (desirable) pattern of multifaceted development and design activities of specific robots
This workshop may elicit effective ideas to tailor very early phases of design and development, contributing to a comprehensive approach at design level.
If you want to discover new aspects of design that you had not thought of before, join our game!
See you in Tampere!
