event

Humans and Robots: Past, Present, and Future

Tue. October 12th, 2021

Zoom Webinar

Robotics in the past has focused on automation in structured environments, which has evolved to adapt to unstructured ones with advancements in sensing technologies. With the advent of cheap and compact computing power, the future will see higher levels of autonomy and productivity in addressing challenges that can complement humans and societies.

On October 12, we hosted a 'Tech for Thought: A KnowledgeTransfer series' workshop, titled Humans and Robots: Past, Present, and Future, with Alexandra Zafiroglu and Jagannath Raju. Conducted in partnership with Plaksha University (based in Mohali), this event answered questions such as how robots have influenced humans and society over time from a cultural and technological perspective, as well as the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in this domain in the years to come.

event speakers

Jagannath Raju
Jagannath Raju is the founder and CTO of Systemantics India, which develops affordable and easy to use robotic arms for industrial and service applications. His expertise covers many areas of technology relevant to robotic systems, viz., mechanical design, actuator and sensors, computer control, signal and power electronics and embedded and application software. Jagannath holds a B Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, and master’s & doctoral degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. His consulting experience in the USA covers development of innovative robotic systems for space, underwater and hazardous applications for projects funded by NASA, Federal Sea Grant Program, Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. He also served as a consultant in the Boston area to many companies involved in robotics and automation R&D, especially in semiconductor fabrication and handling, and was a visiting scientist at the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan under a fellowship from Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry. After repatriating back to India in 1993 he worked as a consultant at the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bangalore for the development of a controller for a robotic inspection platform before founding Systemantics in 1995.
Alexandra Zafiroglu
Alexandra Zafiroglu is a professor and deputy director of the School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University and a fellow of the ANU Futures scheme. A cultural anthropologist by training, joined the ANU in 2019, after a 15-year career at Intel Corporation. She held various roles across the company within the People and Practices, Digital Home, Client Computing, and Internet of Things divisions. She made significant contributions to the R&D and commercial development in a range of labs and divisions relating to smart systems including built environments (homes, commercial buildings, and manufacturing) and transportation (autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems). At the ANU she convenes the School of Cybernetics Higher Degree by Research program.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

event speakers

Jagannath Raju
Jagannath Raju is the founder and CTO of Systemantics India, which develops affordable and easy to use robotic arms for industrial and service applications. His expertise covers many areas of technology relevant to robotic systems, viz., mechanical design, actuator and sensors, computer control, signal and power electronics and embedded and application software. Jagannath holds a B Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, and master’s & doctoral degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. His consulting experience in the USA covers development of innovative robotic systems for space, underwater and hazardous applications for projects funded by NASA, Federal Sea Grant Program, Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. He also served as a consultant in the Boston area to many companies involved in robotics and automation R&D, especially in semiconductor fabrication and handling, and was a visiting scientist at the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan under a fellowship from Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry. After repatriating back to India in 1993 he worked as a consultant at the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bangalore for the development of a controller for a robotic inspection platform before founding Systemantics in 1995.
Alexandra Zafiroglu
Alexandra Zafiroglu is a professor and deputy director of the School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University and a fellow of the ANU Futures scheme. A cultural anthropologist by training, joined the ANU in 2019, after a 15-year career at Intel Corporation. She held various roles across the company within the People and Practices, Digital Home, Client Computing, and Internet of Things divisions. She made significant contributions to the R&D and commercial development in a range of labs and divisions relating to smart systems including built environments (homes, commercial buildings, and manufacturing) and transportation (autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems). At the ANU she convenes the School of Cybernetics Higher Degree by Research program.

Humans and Robots: Past, Present, and Future

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