Augsburg, 9 November 2018 – From 16 to 18 November, Augsburg will be in the spotlight, hosting the Central event of the European Robotics Week 2018. Augsburg combines tradition and innovation; it is home to numerous technology companies and world class research at the heart of the economic region of Bavaria.

The European Robotics Week (ERW) offers to the public one week of hundreds of interactive robotics events everywhere in Europe. euRobotics, the organiser of ERW, chooses every year a different city for its Central event to host an eco-system of engaging activities.

“As a company that is proactively involved throughout Europe and is responsible for social issues relating to robotics, we are delighted that the European Robotics Week Central event is being held in Augsburg this year”, says Bernd Liepert, Chief Innovation Officer at KUKA (Platinum sponsor of the event) and President of the euRobotics association.

On Friday, 16 November, from 3 o’clock, ERW2018 will start with an Opening, gathering high-level representatives from industry, research, policy and politics at the Town Hall (Rathaus). This event is in English and is open to everyone.

From Friday 16 to Sunday 18 November, a robots exhibition, several public talks and activities for adults and children will be offered at the Zeughaus.

“Robots and people working together is an increasingly important topic, not only in factories but in our workforce, in our society and in our future. The various European Robotics Week events, where many people will have the opportunity to interact with their first industrial robot, to discuss the future with a technology expert and to gain insights into what our careers might look like in ten years, are a valuable part of this dialogue”, says Steven Wyatt, Marketing and Sales Manager, Robotics at ABB (Platinum sponsor of the event) and Vice President of the International Federation of Robotics - IFR.

During the exhibition, the public will have the chance to:

• See ABB’s YuMi folding box application, serving give-aways for visitors
• Compete against KUKA’s Building Challenge application and get an autograph signed by a robot
• Watch Roboception’s rc_visard, picking apples from a bin
• Shake hands with SCHUNK’s 5 five-finger hand, resembling its human model
• Interact with PAL Robotics humanoids: REEM-C and TIAGo
• Learn how easy it is to program Yaskawa’s Red Dot Design robot Motoman GP8

Other exhibitors to showcase their robots are: Hochschule Karlsruhe, LUHbots, Open Roberta, Regio Augsburg Wirtschafts GmbH, Stefan Holzer Feinmechanik.

A group of teenage robotics enthusiasts from Bosnia Herzegovina, supported by euRobotics, will visit Augsburg and the exhibition.

On Saturday, 17 November, from 3 o’clock, the public will be able to meet renowned futurologist Vito di Bari, at the Zeughaus. His presentation “Robots, AI and the Future - Technology vs. Humanity” will take the attendees on an exciting journey into the future; one in which man and robot work hand-in-hand. This presentation is in English and is open to everyone.

Central event full programme: about/central-event/index.html

What is happening in Europe?

One week before the start of ERW2018, around 900 events showing how robots will impact the way we work, live, and learn both have been announced. Robotics researchers, Universities and Industry are opening their doors Europe-wide, from the very West in Spain to Romania in the East, from far North in Finland, to the Southern reaches of Cyprus.

West and South of Europe are leaders in number of events announced this year. In Southern Europe, the Italian Scuola di Robotica is organising over 300 events, and in Spain, more than 230 events are planned, out of which 190 are in Catalonia. In Western Europe, Germany is organising over 120 events, on various topics, with open doors by companies and research institutes alike.

Central-East Europe is focusing on extending access to new technologies for all. In Romania, e-Civis, the organiser of the European Robotics Forum 2019, is teaching the teachers how to integrate robotics in the curricula, and Bosnia Herzegovina and Hungary will both organise kids’ workshops on programming and competitions.

See the full list of activities: www.robotics-week.eu

Supporters of the ERW2018 Central event in Augsburg

Platinum sponsors