IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - September 2022 - 8

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Reflections on ICRA 2022
By Frank Park
H
aving witnessed the nearly
five thousand participants
gathered in Philadelphia for
the IEEE International ConDespite
some
small kinks in the
technology, there
does appear to be
a sizable segment
of participants
for whom virtual
attendance is the
preferred (and, in
some cases, the
only) option.
ference on Robotics and Automation
(ICRA) 2022, I think it's safe to say that
in-person meetings are emphatically
back. It's true that the coronavirus continues
to evolve
and still stubbornly
refuses to
go away, and
many travel restrictions
across
borders remain
in place. Still, after
more than
two year s of
meeting remotely,
the chance to
have informal
conversations in
the hallway with
speakers, to connect
with both
old and new
friends outside
meetings, and to
disconnect from the distractions of daily
life and rituals were, especially for me,
too much to pass up. To the organizers
and volunteers who organized such a
tremendously successful event through
the uncertainty and challenges of the
pandemic, let me express my deep gratiDigital
Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2022.3189232
Date of current version: 7 September 2022
tude on behalf of the entire
robotics community.
I was struck by several
trends and events at this
most recent ICRA. First, the
hybrid format appears here to
stay for future ICRAs. Despite
some small kinks in the technology,
there does appear to be a sizable segment
of participants for whom virtual
attendance is the preferred (and, in
some cases, the only) option.
Second, I was particularly struck by
the passion and enthusiasm of the
many-including many men-who
attended the RAS Women in Engineering
(RAS-WiE) event. The outpouring
of pent-up frustrations at the many
challenges and subtle forms of discrimination
that women roboticists continue
to face in the workplace and at our conferences
as well as at home was both a
sobering revelation and a reminder of
how far we as a community have to go.
To the organizers of the RAS-WiE
event, I wish to both thank you for your
efforts and entreat you to continue to
organize this event at future ICRAs.
The third development that struck
me was the presence of nearly 100 industry
exhibitors and sponsors at ICRA
2022. It doesn't seem that long ago when
ICRAs struggled to attract half that number;
the exhibitors who showed up were
mostly research equipment manufacturers,
lab start-ups, and publishers, with a
smattering of established industrial
robotics companies mixed in who often
did not return. As noted in an
article by Vice President of
Industrial Activities Andrea
Keay appearing in this issue
of IEEE Robotics & Automation
Magazine, more robotics
companies have been formed in
the last 10 years than in the entire history
of robotics. While we are likely
still far away from a " robot in every
home, " the predictions of a coming
wave of innovation in robotics and
automation that will lead to sustainable,
scalable companies, does not
seem that far-fetched.
To engage this new and burgeoning
segment of our community, discussions
are underway on the launching
of a new publication designed for
robotics and automation practitioners.
The focus of this new publication will
be on algorithms, software, designs,
and systems integration as well as
empirical case studies that are of nearterm
benefit to practitioners. Such
results are likely not ideal for our existing
publications, and yet, more and
more, as the robotics industry continues
to expand and mature, we can
expect interest in such studies to
increase. I invite you to read more
about the activities of our Industrial
Activities Board, and to share your
thoughts and feedback on how the
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
can better engage with the growing
segment of members from industry.
8 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE * SEPTEMBER 2022
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0293-6975
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - September 2022

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