Waterloo RoboHub Winter Symposium | RoboHub

Join Us at the Waterloo RoboHub Winter Symposium

Join us on campus on January 17th for a full-day symposium: an interdisciplinary event where thought leaders in robotics from across the private and public sectors will come together to discuss and learn about the global impact of robotics over the coming 5-10 years.

We will have a pair of keynote talks from experts in diverse fields with critical insights into the future of robotics, as well as exhibitors and lightning talks from across the robotics ecosystem.

Click the button below to jump to our registration form at the end of the page, or feel free to continue scrolling to learn more about our agenda, keynote speakers, lightning talk presenters, and exhibitors.

Symposium Agenda

0830 - 0900: Registration and Breakfast

A registration table will be set up on the 7th floor of Engineering 7 starting at 0830, where you can pick up your badge and get directions if/as needed.

A light continental breakfast will also be provided during this registration period before we start the first talk of the day.

0900 - 1000: Industry Keynote by Ryan Gariepy

The Robots Are Here, What's Next?

Whether fixed in place or free to roam, driving in factories or flying through the skies, robots have become increasingly capable. They are now able to adapt, analyze, navigate, and execute complex missions. With the advent of the newest approaches of AI, we've solved autonomy, all we need is just a bit more data! But is this true? How much progress in robotics is coming from the latest breakthroughs, how much is from careful iteration on older work, how much is from economies of scale, and how much is out of the hands of the robotics community entirely? In this talk, we'll take a look at how all of these parts are coming together to open up new horizons in robotics and automation.

1000 - 1100: Lightning Talks by RoboHub's Commercial Partners

This session will consist of lightning talks by movers and shakers at various RoboHub Commercial Partner organizations.

This includes speakers from Clearpath Robotics, Acrylic Robotics, Indro Robotics, Teledyne/FLIR, Finite Farms, and Real Life Robotics.

1100 - 1115: Ontario Centre of Innovation Special Announcement

The Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) will be making a special announcement at this time.

1115 - 1300: Networking Lunch and Exhibition

Over this extended networking break, a wandering lunch will be provided to our attendees on the second floor of Engineering 7.

While eating this lunch, they will also get the opportunity to talk to fellow attendees, RoboHub partners with exhibition booths, and a selection of undergraduate and graduate students who will be demonstrating their capstone projects and research projects in the field of robotics.

1300 - 1400: Academic Keynote by Prof. Yue Hu

Are we ready for Humanoids, are they ready to interact with us?

As humanoid robots development quickly advances, with the promise of integration into our daily lives, the question shifts from "Can we build them?" to "Can they interact with us meaningfully?" and "Are they ready to meet our expectations?" To answer these questions, the talk will draw insights from both physical and social human-robot interaction (HRI), centering around the readiness of humanoid robots from both technological and societal perspectives, exploring the critical role of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in enabling humanoids to perceive, learn, and adapt to dynamic environments, while addressing challenges such as safety, reliability, and ethical considerations.

1400 - 1500: Lightning Talks by RoboHub's Community Partners

This session will consist of lightning talks by movers and shakers at various RoboHub Community Partner organizations.

This includes speakers from the Maglev Microrobotics Lab, the Office of Research, WatSPEED (the professional education unit on campus), the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics, the Waterloo Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, and the Cybersecure Robotics And Future Talent (CRAFT) training initiative.

1500-1630: Networking and Exhibition

To wrap up the day, participants will get another opportunity to talk to their fellow attendees, a selection of RoboHub partners with exhibition booths, and several groups of undergraduate and graduate students who will be demonstrating their capstone projects and research projects in the field of robotics.

Keynote Speakers

Ryan Gariepy is co-founder and CTO of both Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors by Rockwell Automation. In addition, he serves on the Board of the Open Source Robotics Foundation, is a co-founder of ROSCon, and also co-founded and co-chairs the Canadian Robotics Council. Ryan is also an advisor to several startups and venture capital groups, and helped found the Next Generation Manufacturing Canada initiative. He is a regular speaker, panelist, and expert guest on topics including robotics, AI, and technology policy. Ryan completed both B.A.Sc. degree in Mechatronics Engineering and a M.A.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and has over seventy pending patents in the field of autonomous systems.

Prof. Yue Hu's research focuses on social-physical human-robot interaction, optimization and optimal control for robots, collaborative robots, humanoid robots, and human motion analysis. Prof. Hu is the Director of the Active & Interactive Robotics Laboratory (A.I.R. Lab) and a member of the RoboHub Steering Committee, serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo in the Automation and Control group. Prof. Hu is also one of the co-chairs of the IEEE-RAS Technical Committee on Model-Based Optimization for Robotics and is a PI for the Cybersecure Robotics and Future Talent (CRAFT) training program at UW.

Lightning Talks

Throughout the day, we will have two "Lightning Talks" sessions presented by thought leaders in the field drawn from our professional partnership program, industrial collaborators, and on-campus researchers.

These talks will provide an avenue for speakers to talk about what they see as the global impact of robotics over the next 5-10 years.

These talks aim to introduce these organizations and speakers to the broader RoboHub community and to plant seeds for potential collaborations.

Exhibitors

As part of the Winter Symposium, some of the RoboHub partners taking part in the Professional Partnership Program will have booths set up where you can talk to experts across our community, learn what their organizations are all about, and see some exciting demos of robots, sensors, and other technology.

Throughout the day, you will have several opportunities to network with our partners without missing any of our interesting keynotes and lightning talks, including during the extended networking break over lunch and after the last talk of the day.

Registration

We hope you're excited to join us at the Waterloo RoboHub Winter Symposium! If you would like to join us at the symposium on January 17th, please fill out the contact form below. For more information about the symposium, including details about sponsoring the event, hosting a booth, or taking part in the lightning talks, please reach out to us directly at robohub@uwaterloo.ca.