Seminar:
The Future Is Here: Robot Programming and the Next Industrial Revolution

ABSTRACT

What was one day considered science fiction is now a reality. Robots, defined as programmable machines designed to carry out multiple tasks, are the face of the next industrial revolution. Advancements in the robotics industry have made robots an appealing technology for the future. They are now safe to work around humans and can be easily manipulated with the touch of one hand. If robots sound like a promising technology for you, be aware that one major problem turns off most consumers: the complexity of programming. While large language models transform how we envision human-computer interaction, robot programming technologies are stuck in ideals from the last century. In this presentation, I will navigate you through the landscape of robot programming technologies, unveiling how I connect groundbreaking technologies to change the programming perspectives of a multibillion-dollar industry. From intuitive visual languages to immersive mixed-reality applications, you will witness a preview of an imminent transformation in our society. Are you ready to communicate with robots?

Luiz Felipe Fronchetti Dias

Virginia Commonwealth University

Directly from Brazil, Felipe Fronchetti is a Ph.D. Student in Computer Science (4th year) at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research interests lie in the Software Engineering and Human-Computer Interaction fields, where he actively works on novel solutions involving both academia and industry. With more than eighteen papers published in top-tier journals and conferences, Felipe dedicates his life to supporting novices in multiple domains. From newcomers in open-source communities to end-users in robotics, Felipe has dedicated his recent years to investigating new end-user-friendly programming alternatives for industrial and collaborative robots.