Self-driving cars, robotic assistants or robotics that fly or swim are likely to be on the agenda of a new conference for Brisbane.
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has been chosen to host the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in May 2018.
The six day conference – plus three days of workshops and tutorials – is expected to attract more than 1,500 of the world’s leading robotics researchers and innovators delivering an estimated $5.5 million in economic benefit to Brisbane and the Queensland economy.
This is the first time this leading international forum, described as a frontier of science and technology in robotics and automation, has been held in Australia. The conference is expected to stimulate discussion on the development of robot technology as a solution for future challenges around productivity and the economy.
The Brisbane event will provide a global platform to showcase the strength of Queensland’s robotics research expertise and its many real-world achievements in the area of robotics particularly in field robotics and agriculture.
Conference Program Chair, Professor Peter Corke, Director of the Centre for Robotic Vision at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said the successful bid to host the Conference in Brisbane was largely the result of the strong work in robotics currently taking place in Brisbane and Australia with the support of a strong local organising committee.
“Certainly the strength of the local sector, the wide appeal of Brisbane and the world class facilities of the BCEC were all factors in the decision making process,” he said.
Professor Corke said the conference would provide important networking opportunities as well as encourage collaboration in international research projects.
Professor Corke and Conference General Chair, Dr Alex Zelinsky Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, in collaboration with the team at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, prepared and presented the winning bid to the Robotics and Automation Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
