Opening Keynote: Building the Next Era of Robot Autonomy

Across healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and public spaces, robots are increasingly operating alongside people. This marks the era of Physical AI, where perception, autonomy, and software-defined intelligence intersect with the real world. When humans and robots share space, there are no second chances.

This session will explore the foundational software and critical building blocks that enable safe autonomy at scale. As robotics transitions from contained automation to open deployment, safety must move beyond being an afterthought or a compliance checkbox—it needs to be integrated into the heart of every system and continuously enforced as environments and software evolve.

Together with executives from QNX, Amazon Robotics, Locus Robotics, and Universal Robots, we’ll discuss how leading organizations are tackling autonomy at scale, balancing innovation with predictability, and weaving safety, security, and real-time performance into their solutions. Drawing from real-world deployments, the panel will examine what it takes to build robotics systems that people can confidently trust to operate around them every day, as intelligence takes its place in the physical world.

Featuring Aaron Parness Director of Applied Science | Amazon Robotics, Anders Beck VP, AI Robotics Products | Universal Robots, Hamid Montazeri Sr. Vice President, Software & AI | Locus Robotics, John Wall President | QNX, Eugene Demaitre (Moderator) Editorial Director – Robotics | WTWH Media