Human + Machine: AI Powered Collaborative robotics shaping the Future — IEEE Silicon Valley RAS Panel Event

#Robotics #Automation #Collaborative #Artificial #Intelligence #Control #Systems #Surgical #Energy
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Hear from leaders on human-machine collaboration and the future of industry. Connect with innovators shaping what’s next.


What happens when cutting-edge robotics meets the demands of a rapidly evolving energy, healthcare and manufacturing landscape,? Join us for an evening of insight, conversation, and community at Stanford University as we bring together industry leaders to explore how collaborative robots and intelligent automation are transforming the way we build, power, and sustain our world.

 

 



  Date and Time

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  • Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
  • 350 Jane Stanford Way
  • PALO ALTO, California
  • United States 94305
  • Building: David Packard Electrical Engineering
  • Room Number: 101
  • Click here for Map

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  • Co-sponsored by Ram Chandra Palsaniya
  • Starts 13 May 2026 07:00 AM UTC
  • Ends 27 May 2026 07:00 AM UTC
  • No Admission Charge


  Speakers

Eric of Nextpower.com

Topic:

Human + Machine: AI-Powered Collaborative Robotics Shaping the Future

Biography:

Eric Low

Director Product Management, Construction Machines. 

ric Law is Director of Product Management, Construction Machines at Nextracker, the global leader in intelligent solar tracking systems. In this role, he architects the product strategy and technology roadmap that is redefining how construction machinery and automation integrate with large-scale renewable energy infrastructure worldwide.

Previously, Eric served as Senior Director of Technology & Innovation at Swinerton, one of America's most established construction powerhouses, where he built and led innovation programs that partnered with startups and emerging technology firms to transform traditional construction operations. His leadership bridged legacy industrial expertise with cutting-edge digital solutions, unlocking new efficiencies and scalable growth across major infrastructure portfolios.

With more than two decades of cross-functional leadership at the intersection of construction technology, clean energy, and product innovation, Eric is a recognized voice in industrial transformation—driving the convergence of heavy machinery, automation, and sustainable infrastructure deployment.

 

Email:

Address:United States

Allen of UC Berkely

Topic:

Human + Machine: AI-Powered Collaborative Robotics Shaping the Future

Biography:

Allen Yang

Executive Director at UC Berkeley FHL Vive Center

Dr. Allen Y. Yang is Executive Director of the FHL Vive Center for Enhanced Reality at UC Berkeley, where he leads frontier research in autonomous systems, embodied AI, and human-robot interaction. He has architected multiple first-of-their-kind graduate programs in autonomous driving and robotics, training the next generation of engineers who build machines that perceive, decide, and act in the real world.

As Principal Investigator of the ROAR (Robot Open Autonomous Racing) program, Allen leads AI Racing Tech—the most decorated U.S. team in the Indy Autonomous Challenge, with podium finishes at Texas Motor Speedway and CES Las Vegas. In 2024, his team was one of only three globally selected to field the Dallara AV-24, the world’s fastest autonomous racecar, pushing the limits of high-speed autonomy and edge-case AI under extreme conditions.

A serial robotics entrepreneur, Allen previously served as CTO and Acting COO of Atheer Inc., developing enterprise AR systems for industrial automation, and is Co-Founder of Hitch Interactive, advancing programmable, on-chain intelligent agents. His work spans 30+ patents and 100+ publications at the intersection of machine perception, real-time decision-making, and physical AI.

 

Email:

Address:Berkely, United States


Ashwinram of Intuitive Surgical

Topic:

Human + Machine: AI-Powered Collaborative Robotics Shaping the Future

Biography:

Dr.  Ashwinram Suresh

Managing Principle Systems Analytics

Intuitive Robotics

Ashwin Ram Suresh is a Principal Systems Analyst at Intuitive Surgical, where he has spent over a decade advancing the frontier of robotic surgery. He holds degrees from IIT Madras and Carnegie Mellon University in robotics and control engineering, and his work has been instrumental in developing breakthrough force feedback and haptic technologies for surgical systems. An "Inventor of the Year" and "Rising Star" awardee, Ashwin holds 8 granted patents (with 11 more pending) and has pioneered innovations that enhance precision and safety in minimally invasive procedures. He is passionate about mentoring the next generation of robotics talent and translating cutting-edge research into real-world clinical impact.

Address:San Jose, United States

Pannag of Avolla

Topic:

Human + Machine: AI-Powered Collaborative Robotics Shaping the Future

Biography:


Dr. Pannag Sanketi

Founder and CEO, Avolla

Former Robotics Lead at Google DeepMind (Gemini Robotics, Table-Tennis Robots, Open X-Embodiment)

I'm currently building something new in robotics and AI — early stage, in stealth, and in learning mode. Until recently, I was a Tech-Lead Manager in the Robotics team at Google DeepMind, where my work sat at the intersection of robotics, optimal control, and deep learning. Over seven years there, I founded and led high-impact projects in robot learning, including data quality for Gemini Robotics, X-Embodied foundation models (Open X-Embodiment / RT-X) and agile robots capable of human-level table tennis and catching thrown objects.
 
This work has resulted in several awarded patents and publications at top conferences including CoRL, ICRA, NeurIPS, RSS, IROS, and L4DC. The Open X-Embodiment / RT-X work received the Best Conference Paper award at ICRA 2024, the Robo-DM paper received the Best Robot Learning Paper award at ICRA 2025, and our human-level table tennis paper was a finalist for the same award. The work has been featured in NBC, CBS, Wired, TechCrunch, and IEEE Spectrum, among others.
 
Before robotics, I spent over seven years as a Tech-Lead on the Android team, where I shipped AI features across Camera, Photos, and Pixel Watch, and founded MLKit — one of Google's largest on-device ML frameworks. Earlier in my career, I worked at sports-tech startups (SportVision, PixBlitz) and as a postdoctoral associate at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, developing computer vision algorithms to assist visually impaired users.
 
I hold a PhD (2009) and MS (2005) in Nonlinear Control Systems from UC Berkeley, and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras (2003).

Email:

Address:San Jose, United States






Agenda

🕕 6:00 – 6:30 PM — Mingling & Pizza

🎤 6:30 – 7:30 PM — Panel Discussion

🤝 7:30 – 8:00 PM — Networking



This is a hybrid event. If you plan to attend in person, please register by 05/26/2026 to help us prepare an accurate headcount for food.

Parking is available in campus.