The first day of ERF2021 gave us all a program packed full with great content. 350-400 participants were online at any time, showing how strong the European robotics community is. As a new initiative to keep everyone healthy and fit, the health sessions at 08:00 and 12:45 were also well attended. We encourage everyone to join in on the fun!
After the welcome note by the President of euRobotics Dr. Bernd Liepert, the Opening Ceremony gave encouraging words by Lucilla Sioli, the Director for ‘Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry’ at the European Commission followed by a presentation of Marina Bill, Global Head of Marketing and Sales for ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business talking about ‘The Robotics Renaissance; Fast Forward in Times of Pandemics’. Francesco Ferro CEO of PAL Robotics provided interesting insights about Service robotics in Europe leading to a brighter future.
There were many interesting workshops, for instance about the practical use of a robot in the session ‘First Autonomous Robot for Infrastructures I&M: Genova New Bridge’. Recordings of all workshops will be available to participants in the course of the morning of the next day. All recordings will remain available for one month after ERF so you can even enjoy workshops you couldn’t attend in your own time.
The beer tasting, sponsored by RuRobots, was a great way to relax and reload at the end of a long day. Over 70 participants joined and learned a lot about the background and history of beer, how beer is brewed, and how one properly enjoys beer in all its varieties. Hopefully next week we can do something similar in real life again!
ON TO TODAY!
Today’s program promises again a day full of excitement. From the workshops, to the Plenary with Heike Vallery, Professor at TU Delft and euRobotics TechTransfer Award winner 2014, to the 2021 Award Sessions and the related Award Ceremony and the Charity Run at 17:00 (you can still register HERE). So grab your coffee or tea after your 08:00 sports session in the mug that was sent to your home (for the first 500 participants) sponsored by KUKA and PAL Robotics, sit down, and enjoy another day full of robotics!
We want to thank all our sponsors again for their amazing support, and encourage you to look them up in InEvent. And by the way, you can still register for the Virtual Escape Room tomorrow!