More than 6,500 people over two days visit the 2022 Swiss Robotics Days, marking the end of NCCR Robotics.
The 2022 edition of the Swiss Robotics Days was an unprecedented success that attracted several hundred visitors at Palais de Beualieu in Lausanne, to witness the latest developments in robotics and the many ways in which it impacts industry, health, education and people’s everyday life.
On 4 November, the industry day, over 600 participants from industry, academia and civil society sat in the audience for the morning conference. After the introductory talks by EPFL’s Vice President Jan Hesthaven and by NCCR Robotics Director Dario Floreano, six speakers (Robin Murphy, Auke Ijspeert, Elena Garcia Armada, Raffaello D’Andrea, Thierry Golliard, Adrien Briod) took the stage to show the state of the art of search and rescue robotics, rehabilitation technologies, autonomous drones, robot delivery. Aude Billard presented the Innovation Booster Robotics, which will continue some activities of NCCR Robotics including the next editions of the Swiss Robotics Day.
Meanwhile, in the exhibition area, over 70 exhibitors showcased their technologies in the 5,000 square-meter area, complete with a flying arena, while 9 industrial demonstrators and 16 start-ups were presented to potential funders and collaborators. A mentoring session, a match-making area for professionals and an education zone with students also took place.
The day ended with a roundtable on robotics and the future of work, and with an award ceremony that recognized the best master thesis awards by women master students in robotics, some of the best papers and tools by NCCR Robotics researchers – as well as the work of the NCCR Robotics team, and Director.
On Saturday 5 November, a crowd of over 5,500 people (including many families with children) filled Beaulieu to visit the booths, interact with robots, watch them play football and fly, and to attend talks on science fiction, robots in space, gender equality in robotics, robot ethics. The grand final was “E-quiLibre”, Silke Pan’s dance performance with a robotic exoskeleton, choreographed by Antoine Le Moal of the Béjart ballet company.
It was a fitting and great conclusion for NCCR Robotics, that officially ends on 30 November 2022. As for the Swiss Robotics Day, the next edition will be on November 3, 2023 in Zurich, organized by the Innovation Booster Robotics.