Rescue Robots, Tech Toy Chest almost here

by TODD STOLARSKI | May 26, 2015

The era of mobile unmanned vehicle systems has arrived. While UAVs already are flying emergency supplies to remote disaster sites, performing precision agriculture, aerial photography, and site surveillance tasks, other driverless intelligent machines on terra firma are checking off chores while their list of capabilities grows daily. From futuristic earthmoving equipment to the imminent autopilot mode from the planet's hottest car maker, Tesla, both the industrial and commercial markets now are poised for change that not long ago would have been dismissed as science fiction.

Robotic technology now drives, flies, monitors, moves, inspects, lifts, and enables stakeholders to view detailed aspects of the built environment from vantage points never before available. Today, as the FAA and other legislative bodies scramble to keep up with an impatient industry's regulatory needs, it remains a time of enormous promise and extraordinary technological opportunity. With all this in mind, BuiltWorlds and the Heartland Chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), in conjunction with Techweek Chicago, next month will host Robots to the Rescue: The Evolution of Unmanned Vehicles.

The more tasks these unmanned systems perform, the more Big Data they collect, compiling useful information that hopefully will empower our global industry to be smarter, safer, more efficient, productive, and profitable. Today, contractors like Clayco, Bechtel, Graycor, Krusinski and others already are using UAVs successfully while equipment giants Caterpillar and Komatsu are betting big on more intelligent machinery.

“The use of UAS is crucial to continued innovation in engineering and construction. This technology helps improve safety and quality of project delivery by providing real-time data and analysis to project teams.”

— Mike Lewis, Bechtel construction manager

At Robots to the Rescue, a panel of experts from will dispense insights on this emerging market, trade stories on best practices and lessons learned, and predict where robots will be a year from now. There also will be unmanned equipment demonstrations onsite, while we also expect a broader discussion of how this tech will feed into the Internet of Things, the wildly expanding category that includes everything from iBeacons and SmartHelmets to 3D printing and building security. As this world of automation continues to grow, will we humans be on the outside, or inside, holding hands with the robots that may yet rescue us from ourselves?

So, June 23rd will be your opportunity to take your place at the vanguard of this conversation. While assembly lines now stand ready to pump out driverless fleets, and realtors queue up behind contractors to apply for FAA licenses, BuiltWorlds, AUVSI Heartland, Techweek Chicago, and event sponsors Navistar and Newforma are excited to host Chicago's first industry-wide, hands-on look at these futuristic tools that may soon be commonplace. So, come, spend an evening at BuiltWorlds, to see where the future will take us next, with our robots.

Have you purchased your passes for Techweek Chicago 2015? Taking place from June 22-28 at the downtown Merchandise Mart, we are also excited to be part of a second event featuring BuiltWorlds' cofounder and managing director Matt Abeles. On June 25th, Abeles will moderate a Tech Toy Chest panel that promises to showcase several new technologies, including the new CloudGate intelligent turnstile from Chicago-based Solo Insight. Stay tuned for more details!

Finally, for BW readers, see below for an exclusive discount on Techweek Chicago passes.