The European Robotics Week (ERW) celebrates Europe as a leader in Robotics technology development by offering the general public one week of hundreds of interactive events. With the organisation of around 1000 robotics events in 36 countries, #ERW2017 has once again broken all records.
The Central event hosted by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) – Brussels, Belgium
Every year, the central event of the ERW hosts an eco-system of various engaging activities in the chosen location. Titled “Robots Discovery”, the central event hosted by the European Committee of the Regions on 20-23 November, saw robotics experts from 30 European and regionally-funded projects outlining the impact of their work on society in areas such as healthcare, education, environment and international cooperation.
The event was officially opened on Tuesday 21 November by Markku Markkula, the First Vice-President of the CoR. Members of the CoR also attended a demonstration of an automated driverless electric minibus which has been tested in Finland as part of the Interreg project Sohjoa Baltic. The day ended with a reception hosted by First Vice-President Markku Markkula, and a concert by the Logos Robots Orchestra.
Photo: First Vice-President Markku Markkula, European Committee of the Regions (left), Reinhard Lafrenz, Secretary General euRobotics (right)
Credits: Visual Outcasts
Read the full summary by the European Committee of the Regions
On 22-23 November, the Sohjoa Baltic robot bus met the public on the Esplanade of the European Parliament. The day ended with a high-level dinner hosted by MEP Martina Werner at the European Parliament.
On 23 November, the workshop How regions can benefit from robotics and how the EU can support innovation processes took place under the patronage of the CoR.
On 24 November, Baudouin Hubert (Scientastic) held robotics classes for children at the Euro Space Center.
What has been happening in Europe and beyond?
Robotics research institutes, schools, museums, universities and companies have opened up their doors Europe-wide, from the very West in Portugal to the Republic of Moldova in the East, from far North in Finland, to the Southern reaches of Cyprus (selection based on materials sent by local organisers):
- In Spain, over 300 events were organised, out of which 200 only in Catalonia. This year's theme in Spain has been social inclusion, as explained in the summary by Hisparob. Other events in Spain were: the Spanish National Robotics League, #cineyrobot, the debate Programación y Robótica Educativa, and the drawing contest Mascota Robótica in Valencia.
- In Italy, Scuola di Robotica coordinated and promoted the organisation of over 200 events and exported the European Robotics Week to Uruguay, in Latin America. Other highlighted events in Italy were in Verona and Genova.
- In Romania, over 70 events including a robotics caravan have given the opportunity to children from both rural and urban areas to experience with robots. Other events were: ROBOTECH by a high-school in Medgidia and Teaps & Tricks by the Technological Equipment Faculty in Bucharest.
- Companies in Germany such as KUKA and Schunk opened their doors to robotics enthusiasts. Other highlights from the over 40 events included an Open House in Karlsruhe and a Career Day at Fraunhofer IPA.
- This year, for the first time, ERW was held in Bosnia & Herzegovina, with over 40 events organised in several cities.
- Slovenian major players in robotics opened their doors, while in Croatia, Dubrovnik, the Futura club organised two events: Robo.DU Day 2017 and Futura robotics workshops.
- In Greece, Edumotiva helped refugees to get familiar with robotics and Aketh Robotics Lab discussed robotics career options with students. In Cyprus, a school from Nicosia exemplified the use and the role of robotics in modern society during various workshops.
- In Finland, the Tampere University of Technology (TUT) celebrated the opening of a new robotics laboratory for students, and in Denmark, the Danish Technological Institute organised a large robotics fair, the Danish National Robot and Automation Expo 2017.
- In Turkey, the robotics lab at the Middle East Technical University opened its doors for the first time for over 300 guests.
- Latvia, Iceland and Ukraine participated in the European Robotics Week for the first time.
Additional information
- Full event press release
- Report in Tweets
- Pictures Gallery
- The full list of the around 1000 activities
European Robotics Week
ERW was conceived with the desire of the European Robotics community to bring robotics research and development closer to the public and to build the future Robotics Society. Many more than 400,000 people across Europe have been part of ERW since its first edition in 2011. The European Robotics Week is organised under SPARC, the public-private partnership for robotics between euRobotics and the European Commission.
European Robotics Week 2017 (ERW2017) took place around Europe on 17 – 26 November 2017.
About euRobotics and SPARC
SPARC is an initiative to maintain and extend Europe’s leadership in civilian robotics. Its aim is to strategically position European robotics in the world, thereby securing major benefits for Europe’s economy and society at large.
SPARC leads the driving strategy behind the largest civilian robotics research and innovation programme in the world, with €700 million in funding from the European Commission from 2014 to 2020 and triple that from European industry, to yield a total investment of €2.8 billion. SPARC will stimulate a more vibrant and effective robotics community that collaborates in development and commercial exploitation in all regions.
euRobotics is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels with more than 250 members, representing the Robotics community in Europe.