Robotics Experts Predict Multi-Billion Dollar Robot Industry
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BURLINGTON, Mass.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—May 21, 2004

A panel of robotics experts at the NextFest future technology conference held in San Francisco last weekend predicted a multi-billion-dollar mobile robotics industry will materialize within the next three to five years.

The panel, hosted by Colin Angle, co-founder and chief executive officer of iRobot Corp., included some of the leading minds in robotics:

-- Rodney Brooks, director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-founder and chief technical officer of iRobot;
-- Ken Goldberg, artist and professor of engineering at UC Berkeley, who holds a doctorate in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University;
-- Alec Hudnut, president of Evolution Robotics, which designed ER Vision software for the Sony Aibo robot pet;
-- Dan Kara, president and co-founder of Robotics Trends, an industry research analyst firm; and
-- Yulun Wang, chief executive officer of InTouch Health, a pioneer in medical robots.

The panel provided consumers with a glimpse into the near future (three to five years), when robots will care for homes, help grow crops, provide playmates for youngsters, serve as caretakers for the sick and elderly, help secure industries and military forces, and intelligently move people from place to place. Some of these scenarios already are being realized, said the panelists. For example, InTouch Health's "robo-doc" helps surgeons make personal patient rounds virtually. While remaining in their office or another hospital, a surgeon can examine a patient virtually and discuss the case "face to face" on a video monitor, allowing personal contact that would be logistically impossible otherwise. Key issues facing the budding robotics industry include the need for better vision and manipulation capabilities, and bringing prices into the range where consumers can afford to buy a robot that does jobs they do not want to or cannot do.

iRobot's Roomba(R) Robotic Floorvac was cited as the world's first truly popular consumer robot, based on sales. Roomba is now in over 500,000 households, said iRobot Chief Executive Officer Colin Angle, who attributed the phenomenal retail results to Roomba's autonomous cleaning abilities and affordable price ($200). Robotics Trends analyst Dan Kara predicted sales of at least 1 million robots in 2005 and 4 million the year after, an increase of 400 percent. "Until now, industrial and military applications have been the primary drivers of robot sales, but as the market for consumer robots grows, we will see sales numbers rapidly trending upward," said Kara. "Robotics promises to be an increasingly crucial technology that will greatly improve and enhance human lives."

Personal Robotics - Metrics Explosive Growth	Robotics - Major Websites www.robonexus.com RoboNexus is a multifaceted international forum bringing together all of the major players driving the burgeoning personal, service and mobile robotics markets. www.androidworld.com A wonderful site with a rich selection of robotics links, robot links, animatronics links, and research links www.robotjournal.com A journal for robotic technology that assists, entertains, and protects
Robotics - Further Reading www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07 /race.html Wired July 2004 "The Humanoid Race" http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID= 20021003-115457-8830r UN survey predicts robot sales growth http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/ eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start? CategoryName=AIBO&DCMP=Overture& Sony Style USA Entertainment Robots	Robotics - Upcoming Conferences http://www.nextfest.net/ Wired Magazine Conference www.icra2005.org/frontal 2005 International Conference on Robotics and Automation www.iros2004.org 2004 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems www.robonexus.com/consumerexpo.htm RoboNexus Consumer and Entertainment Expo
Single Purpose Roomba Pro Elite from IRobot - upgraded vacuum robot Roomba is currently available through Amazon, Hammacher Schlemmer, Cyebye, TotalVac, and The Sharper Image. Entertainment www.us.aibo.com Sony's AIBO - ERS-7 ($1,599 list) and ERS-210A previous ($1,299 list) Sony's AIBO - ERS-31L ($599 list) www.R2droidfactory.com Hasbro R2-D2 Interactive Astromech Droid - $100 street Industrial www.kcrobotics.com Fanuc robots - new and used www.clarifyingtech.com/public/robots/robots_public.html Clarifying Climber Robot Fully Assembled www.TheRobotStore.com Newest Robot Kits, Vacuums, etc. www.evolution.com Evolution Robotics - ER1 - $699 direct (assembled) or $499 (kit) www.wowwee.com Wow Wee RoboSapien - just $99 list (14" tall, 67 functions, Touch & Sound sensitive) Kits www.parallax.com Autonomous Robots - all Kits SumoBot (shown), Boe-Bot, The Toddler Robot, QuadCrawler, & HexCrawler from $149 to $695 list www.rebotics.com New and used robots / parts and service www.lynxmotion.com Lynxmotion - good selection of robot kits www.robo-one-usa.com Robo-One-USA - Bipedal Humanoid Robot kits www.yostengineering.com BugBrain Walking Robot - $169 list www.robotstore.com Mondo-tronics Robot Store - huge selection of robot kigs http://nelnick.com Nelnick Robotic Solutions - robotics kits & electronics - prices are very reasonable! http://shop.lego.com/department.asp?d=13&t=5&CMP=KAC-GOOGUS&HQS=lego+robot Lego Spybotics kits - documentation on CD - $59.95 list Lego Mindstorms - robotics invention system 2.0 - $199.99 list www.kitsUSA.us Robotic Kits www.HobbyEngineering.com Robotic Kits www.robotikitsdirect.com Beginner's kit - 1 hour assembly - $19.95 list www.fatbrain.com Robot Training Wheels - from McGraw-Hill - easy assembly $59.95 list Education www.ai.mit.edu/projects/humanoid-robotics-group Kismet Project - robot that reacts to humans with life-like facial and vocal responses. http://www.alegrobot.com Robotics Platforms Educational Robotics Space http://robotics.arc.nasa.gov NASA Robotics Education Project - space robots http://robotics.jpl.nasa.gov Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Cryobot and Cliff-bot - robotic spacecraft and rovers. Clubs www.dprg.org Dallas Personal Robotics Group - founded in 1984! www.seattlerobotics.org Seattle Robotics Society - for robotics hobbiests www.ctrobots.org Connecticut Robotics Society - robotic competitions www.portlandrobotics.org Portland Area Robotics Society - robotic how-to articles Portals www.robotcafe.com RobotCafe.com - technology in general - extensive resource www.androidworld.com Android World - animatronics and entertainment robotics www.robotdirectory.org The Robot Directory - homemade robots - others can rate your robot! www.gorobotics.net/beginnertips.shtml Frequently Asked Questions for Beginners www.techgeek.com Technical articles, how-to, reviews, forums, club listings, etc.
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