Chapter 14: Robotics and Automation is Born!
By Robert Sealy
In September 2005, I searched the Internet to find a professional organization in the Detroit area involved in robotics and automation technology. I was looking for a group that held regular meetings, sponsored workshops, and encouraged engineers both inside and outside the industry to test their ideas against others. Unfortunately, my search failed, and I was both disappointed and frustrated.
As a result, I decided to start such a group myself. Since I already belonged to the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, the answer was obvious–start a new chapter of IEEE SEM. I enlisted a few colleagues, gathered the necessary signatures, and filed all the necessary paperwork. Now, we have an official chapter of the Robotics and Automation Society here in Southeastern Michigan.
So far, there has been a great amount of interest in our chapter, and I believe that our chapter will meet the needs of our members and interest will grow over the years to come. Robotics is a technology that can not only help our current auto industry to succeed, but help Michigan hold its own in the new global economy. ABB, Fanuc and Kuka are only a small sampling of the robotics companies currently in Southeastern Michigan. We hope to tap into that font of engineering expertise to make our chapter's activities both interesting and challenging.
We are working to set up the following events:
- Visit robotics companies, such as Fanuc and ABB, and get them to demonstrate their latest products.
- Hold workshops and informational meetings on new technologies, such as the daVinci system being used in surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Clinton Township.
- Bring engineering talent together from both industry and academia to design and build prototypes of new systems not yet considered in the industry.
- Create a job bank of qualified, professionals which local businesses can search to find knowledgeable people to hire or consult.
- To become a source of information and opinion on the operation of various robotics and robotic systems. (Become the “JD Power” of the robotics industry)
- Many more!
We think we can make a difference. Not only do we hope to come up with new robotic systems and methods of automation, but we also want to get people excited about innovation and technology. And maybe we'll even get the next generation to dream about becoming engineers as we did when we were kids.