IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2015 - 106

Kyle Snyder's presentation on the
Next Generation Air Transportation
Center
● Dr. Jing Xiao's presentation about her
research on autonomous robots and
adaptive motion (Figure 1)
● Jason Traud and David Margolis's
presentation on their robots for
consumer, industry, and military
applications.
In addition to sharing technological information, the 2015 IEEE
RoboResearch Conference also highlighted the unique role that robotics
and engineering plays in North Carolina's economy. Dr. John Hardin from
the North Carolina Department of
Commerce noted the important role
that innovation plays in economic
development, as the innovation economy, including high-tech manufacturing, has a five-fold multiplier effect on
job creation. Dr. Chris Brown echoed
Dr. Hardin's statements as he highlighted the connections between
robotics research and the research priorities for the University of North Carolina system. Paul Wetenhall shared
practical advice for researchers and
students wishing to move toward
commercialization of products, and
James R. Vann provided information
on the legal implications of unmanned
aircraft. Presentations are archived on
the seminar Web site, http://sites.ieee.
org/ncc-roboresearch/.
Finally, the 2015 RoboResearch
Seminar showcased the role that IEEE
●

Figure 1. Dr. Jing Xiao shares her
research at the 2015 IEEE North Carolina
RoboResearch Seminar. (Photo courtesy
of Mike Hermann.)

can play in supporting the development of new technologies. Daniel
McDonald introduced the crowd to
Knowledge Enhanced Neophyte
(KEN), an early prototype of a humanoid robot being developed as a project
of the IEEE Eastern North Carolina
Section and the IEEE Robotics and
Automation Chapter (Figure 2).
Through the KEN project, IEEE Members have been able to practice skills,
network, and push the boundaries of
technology while taking advantage of
their IEEE membership.
The 2015 IEEE RoboResearch Seminar was made possible due to the generous support of UNC Charlotte's
Research and Economic Development,
Charlotte Research Institute. Additional support was provided by the
IEEE Education Society and exhibitors
Touchstone 3D Services, Opobotics,
and SuperDroid Robotics. Other exhibitors included Vann Attorneys, PLLC,

Figure 2. KEN making new friends during
the conference. (Photo courtesy of Mike
Hermann.)

North Carolina State University, North
Carolina Space Grant, North Carolina
FIRST Robotics, and the IEEE Charlotte Section (Figure 3).
Planning for the 2016 event has
already begun. If you are interested in
being involved with this unique opportunity to advance robotics research and
development in North Carolina, contact
Conference Chair and Eastern North
Carolina Section Chair Grayson Randall at g.randall@ieee.org.

Figure 3. Members of the IEEE Charlotte
Section.

RAS Supports AAAI
By Malika Meghjani

n support of the 50th anniversary of
Shakey, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) sponsored
travel scholarships so that students
could participate in the Association for
the Advancement of Artificial IntelliDigital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2015.2419146
Date of publication: 18 June 2015

106

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

june 2015

gence's (AAAI) Annual Conference
held in Austin, Texas, in January 2015.
The conference aimed to promote
research in artificial intelligence (AI)
and a scientific exchange among AI
researchers, practitioners, scientists, and
engineers in affiliated disciplines. One
of the primary objectives for AAAI
2015 was to bridge the gap between the

robotics and the AI communities. As
part of this initiative, the AAAI
announced robotics student fellowships
to invite students with robotics interests
to attend the conference and learn
about AI research (Figure 1).
The conference was organized into
categories focusing on multiagent systems, planning and scheduling, machine

http://www.sites.ieee

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