Robotics as a science has tugged powerfully on the human imagination for many years and has often served as a visible front-end for broader movements within technology and science. As academics and entrepreneurs have expanded the frontier of what robots are and what they are capable of, the field has broadened and now incorporates multiple sub-disciplines such as: distributed sensor networks, robotic-aided surgery, search and rescue, autonomous vehicles, nanoscale robots, and biorobotics. While the popular imagination of robots remains largely settled on humanoid forms, robots can be more broadly classed as agents of automation across multiple industries and applications, and cutting edge research into robotics is as or more likely to be software-application driven than linked to bio-mechanics.
The future of robotics suggests an ongoing broadening of the roles attributed to robots, and a deepening of the science in applications where it has already established itself. The March 18th EntreTech Forum focuses on understanding the future of Robotics, with a focus on the commercialization of academic research in the area.
Moderator:
Holly Heine, Partner, Weingarten Shurgin Gagnebin & Lebovici
Keynote Speaker:
Scott E. Kamholz, M.D., Ph.D, Foley Hoag
Dr. Scott Kamholz obtains patent protection for clients in all fields, with an emphasis on applications in medical devices, biotechnology, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering. He uses his technical training in engineering, medicine and biomedical research to help clients assess the patentability of inventions and to evaluate infringement and product clearance concerns. He represents clients in patent licensing transactions and provides patent due diligence guidance in mergers and acquisitions. In addition, he manages and coordinates foreign patent portfolios.
As the holder of both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, Scott’s scientific expertise encompasses developmental biology, transgenic mouse creation and analysis, hematopoietic stem cell biology, medical informatics, signal processing, and computational modeling. During graduate school and medical school he studied developmental biology, focusing on mechanisms by which hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells migrate during embryonic development. As part of his research work he created and analyzed several lines of transgenic mice to study the function of Steel Factor as a guidance signal for migrating stem cells. Scott also acquired expertise in a wide variety of biotechnology techniques, including cloning, genetic engineering, nucleic acid hybridization, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and FACS analysis.
Speakers:
Joseph Ayers, Professor of Biology, Northeastern University - Department of Biology and Marine Science Center
Tony Aponick, Vice President of Advanced Programs, Foster Miller
Ed Godere, Vice President of Technology Group, Foster Miller
Daniel Theobald, President & CTO, Vecna Technologies
Robert Hughes, Vice President, Black-I Robotics