Designer | Engineer | Educator | Public Speaker
What does fashion lack? “Microcontrollers” according to Dutch based Hi-Tech Fashion Designer and Innovator Anouk Wipprecht. As she is working in the emerging field of “FashionTech”; a rare combination of fashion design combined with engineering, science and interaction/user experience design. Producing an impressive body of tech-enhanced designs bringing together fashion and technology in an unusual way: she creates technological couture; with systems around the body that tend towards artificial intelligence; projected as ‘host’ systems on the human body, her designs move, breath, and react to the environment around them.
Strangely ahead of her time; Anouk combines the latest in science and technology to make fashion an experience that transcends mere appearances. Sensors embedded in the design monitor the space around the wearer, and body-sensors check in on stress levels as comfort or anxiety. Her Intel-Edison based ‘Spider Dress’ is an perfect example of this aesthetic, where sensors and moveable arms on the dress help to create an more defined boundary of personal space while employing a fierce style. “This robotic dress attacks when you come to close” she mentions. Facilitating and augmenting the interactions we have with ourselves and our surroundings in an bespoke manner. Other than handheld devices, Wipprecht researches how we can interface in new ways with the world around us through our wardrobe.
Partnering up with companies such as American multinational technology company INTEL, software producer Autodesk, internet giants Google and Microsoft, car brand AUDI, crystal creator Swarovski, and leading 3D printing innovators amongst others – she researches and develops how our future wardrobe would look as we continue to embed technology into what we wear.
Kevin Sloan is the Director of the University Rover Challenge (URC), an international robotics competition for college students based on the development of astronaut-assisting Mars rovers. URC is an activity of the Mars Society, and is held annually at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. Kevin has led URC since its inception in 2006.
Kevin holds Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Engineering degree in systems engineering from the University of Maryland. He currently works in science and technology program management in the Washington, D.C. area.
Blue Marble Space Institute of Science | Division of Space Sciences & Astrobiology NASA Ames Research Center
Jen Blank is a NASA Scientist within the Division of Space Sciences & Astrobiology at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.
Jen has spent the past few years developing metrics to evaluate autonomy and AI in human-robot teaming activities, focusing on exploration and science operations in the subsurface. She currently leads BRAILLE, a Mars analog research project funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Over the course of several field deployments, the team has conducted multiple-robot tests at Lava Beds National Monument, in California, using the Boston Dynamics Spot legged platforms integrated with an autonomy payload developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Jen advocates for a future mission to a lava tube on the Moon and, one day, Mars.
Jen has worked as a member of NASA’s Curiosity Rover Science Team, with uplink and downlink operational roles for the ChemCam LIBS instrument on Mars. She completed the NASA Ames Project Excellence (APEx) Program in 2018 and currently mentors and evaluates development of science instrumentation for future NASA flight missions.
Jen holds undergraduate degrees in Geology and English from Stanford University, a Master of Science degree in Oceanography from the University of Washington, and a PhD in Geochemistry from Caltech. She was selected as a Global Mentor for the United Nations Space for Women Initiative in 2019. In 2023 she was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.
Usage of Modern IDEs for developing robotics applicationsTobias Madlberger, Leander Klik
Innovative Application of Python 3 on the Wombat Controller: Technical Documentation, Tutorials, and 3D SimulationMuyao Zhang, Luqi Xu, Kaily Xu
More Technical, Less Technology!Muyao Zhang, Luqi Xu
Integration of robotics in front-of-class teachingJakob Aho
Understanding and Configuring SPI Communication for Raspberry Pi and Shield Integration Jakob Estermann
Enhancement of Accuracy in Botball NavigationBernhard Klauninger, Konstantin Lindorfer, Sebastian Kawicher
Converting Rotational Motion To Vertical MotionAlexander Shen
Cross-compiling programs for the WombatDanko Vukoja
Sensing the World: A Deep Dive into the Different Methods of Interacting with the Environment Around Us Aaron Xie, Abigail Liu
Software Libraries and Their Effectiveness Raquel Barnes & Nishka Prasad
The Effects of Automation and Robotics on Lithium MiningSuhani Singh
Dual-Robot Multi-Objective Score Optimization using a Two-Part Knapsack Algorithm with Mutual Exclusivity through Dynamic Programming in PythonTony Gao
Integrating ROS with the KIPR WombatItmam Alam, Akos Papp
Botball Supplies In-Demand Soft Skills for IndustriesPenni Aufderheide Keck
Determining 2D Position And Orientation of a Tank-Like Vehicle While Minimizing External MeasurementsSamiyel D Frazier
MistakesAloy Kimball