Robotics Guru to Deliver Opening Keynote Address at IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX 2008

On a day when many countries celebrate their own customs of fun and light-hearted humor, April 1, IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries will welcome Rodney Brooks, PhD, Director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, as he brings his own brand of fun in a fascinating exploration of the world of robotics. Brooks will deliver the opening keynote address at IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit in Las Vegas, USA.

Lauded as a technology visionary, ground-breaking scientist, creative entrepreneur, and according to Time Magazine, “a voluble Australian … famous for finding radical, counterintuitive approaches to intractable problems,” Brooks is said to arguably be the world’s most important figure in robotics. If there is a leading edge in the world of technology, his spectacular career has certainly been spent exploring it. His presentation, “Having Fun and Changing the World,” will provide a glimpse into those scientific expeditions and reveal his passion for invention and discovery.

Brooks has played a major role in some of the most exciting state-of-the-art inventions in a field bursting with invention. The company he founded, iRobot, sent a robot to Mars to collect samples for NASA, helped create the Predator robot aircraft, and recently brought the first commercial robot to market — the Roomba®. By deftly combining the latest artificial intelligence technology with easy-to-use interfaces, Brooks has developed robots for government, industry, scientific research and kids who want to have fun.

From the perspective of an engaged scientist, Brooks will address the big questions that have traditionally been the domain of fiction writers and fantasists: Can robots “think,” “feel” and be “alive”? When does artificial intelligence stop being artificial? What’s the distinction between conscious and unconscious?

Dr Brooks received degrees in pure mathematics from Flinders University of South Australia and his PhD in computer science from Stanford University. He is a Founding Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

For more information about IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit or to register, visit www.GoIPCShows.org.

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