Fri, May 25, 2018, 8:15 AM to 9:30 AM
Cross Campus, 85 N. Raymond Avenue · Pasadena, CAThe robotics ecosystem is evolving, as technological advances have paved the way for the robotics revolution. Soon, robots will be part of our everyday lives. Despite these advances, robots are currently about as exciting and easy to use as the command line on the personal computer. We're in the "DOS days" of robotics. So what is the Windows of robotics? How will end-users unlock the potential of personal robots in their homes and workplaces?
In this talk, Dr. Ross Mead will discuss the technological advances paving the way for the robotics revolution, and the robotics hardware companies leading the charge along that path. He will also introduce the software innovations in development at Semio to bring robots to life. Finally, he will provide candid insights on personal setbacks as an entrepreneur working in an emerging market within an emerging market.
Biography
Dr. Ross Mead is the Founder and CEO of Semio. Ross received his PhD and MS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California in 2015, and his BS in Computer Science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2007. Ross’s dissertation work focused on enabling autonomous socially assistive robots, specifically, on the principled design and computational modeling of fundamental social behaviors (such as speech, gestures, eye gaze, social spacing, etc.) that serve as building blocks for automated recognition and control in face-to-face human-robot interactions, bringing robotic characters to life. His research provides the foundations upon which Semio software is being built.Semio is a Los Angeles-based software startup developing the operating system, app ecosystem, and developer tools for personal robots. What Microsoft Windows did for personal computing, what Android did for smartphones, Semio is doing for personal robots. Semio software allows robot content developers to rapidly create and deploy robot apps, allows robot manufacturers to easily integrate with those robot apps, and allows robot end-users to transparently access and use robot apps entirely through natural language, including both speech and body language.
Semio seeks to accelerate the mass adoption of hardware robots into homes and workplaces, finally delivering on the vision of robots in daily life that people have always dreamed of.
Beyond Semio, Ross serves on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations: (1) AI LA to promote artificial intelligence in the Los Angeles community; and (2) the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics to promote robotics and STEM in K-12 education around the globe, with a focus on underrepresented populations. In 2018, he co-founded the Social Robot Community Slack team to spark an international community around robotics and natural language technologies. Previously, Ross also served as a technical and scientific advisor to Disney, Intel, and National Geographic, among others.
Email: ross@semio.ai