The conference will bring together leaders in robotics research, design, business development, law, government and policy and investment banking to share insights into worldwide growth of robotics and autonomous systems.

Minneapolis, Minnesota October 08, 2013

Minnesota may be the land of 10,000 medical technology companies, but today, the state is becoming a hub of expertise for another thriving and growing technology-robotics.

Robots have been around for years, although their use has largely been confined to a few large industries. But recent advancements in robotics technology are rapidly extending the scope of what robots can do and where they can work. Today, robots can be found in farming, mining, food production, hazardous cleaning, border security and the military. And that's just the start.

This has resulted in explosive growth for the robotics industry in recent years. A recent report by market research firm Freedonia Group predicts that global demand for robots will grow nearly 11 percent annually through 2016, with sales figures to reach $20.2 billion.

Evidence of this technology surge, and Minnesota's contribution to it, will be showcased at the third annual Robotics Alley and Expo, which will take place Nov. 12-13 at St. Paul's RiverCentre. The conference will bring together leaders in robotics research, design, business development, law, government and policy and investment banking to share insights into worldwide growth of robotics and autonomous systems.

More than 500 industry leaders and 50 exhibiting companies are expected to attend, with new conference highlights such as a satellite showing of Heather Knight's Robot Film Festival and a dedicated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Showcase that will feature the work of local students, from elementary to university-level.

Attendees will also have the chance to interact with Rethink Robotics' manufacturing robot Baxter, drive ReconRobotics' Throwbot, meet a Nao humanoid and snuggle up to Paro, a therapeutic baby seal from Japan.

Keynote speakers include industry icon Rodney Brooks, Founder, CTO and Chairman, Rethink Robotics; Heather Knight, President of Marilyn Monrobot Labs; Lt. (Ret.) Rick Lynch, U.S Army (Ret.) and Executive Director, University of Texas at Arlington research Institute; Nikos Papanikpolopoulos, McKnight University Professor, University of Minnesota; and Mike Toscano, President, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVSI).

"Robotics Alley is a conduit for growth, collaboration and communication of the opportunities in robotics for the Midwest," says Adam Marsh, Director of R&D at PaR Systems, Inc. in Shoreview, Minn.

About Robotics Alley

Robotics Alley™ (http://www.roboticsalley.org) is an initiative to spur public-private partnerships in the business, research and development of world-leading robotics and automation systems. These leading companies, organizations, universities and individuals are involved in some of the world's most innovative and promising robotics projects.