We the Geeks: “Robots”

Ed. note: This event has concluded. Watch the full hangout below.

“As president, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots in case they try anything.”

- President Barack Obama at the launch of his Educate to Innovate Campaign

Here at the White House, we’re hard at work keeping our eye on the robots, and as we celebrate one car-sized robotic rover’s 1^st year on Mars, we wanted to update you on the state of American robotics and the possibilities for robots to improve life on Earth.

Join us on Friday, August 9th, at 2:00 pm EDT for a “We the Geeks” Google+ Hangout on “Robots” – where pioneering scientists will discuss how robots can help transform everything from school classrooms to the factory floor and operating rooms to the way we explore the Solar System.

You’ll meet American inventors giving robots incredible new capabilities in manufacturing and medicine. You’ll also hear how the Obama Administration’s National Robotics Initiative is accelerating innovations that will expand the horizons of human capacity and potentially add over $100 billion to the American economy in the next decade.

The Hangout will be moderated by Vijay Kumar, Assistant Director for Robotics and Cyberphysical Systems, and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. John Green, best selling author and popular video blogger, will join the discussion and curate questions for a panel of these leading experts:

• Rodney Brooks, President, Rethink Robotics, with Humanoid Robot, Baxter
• Daniela Rus, Director of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT
• Matthew Mason, Director, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
• Robin Murphy, Director of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue, Texas A&M University
• Allison Okamura, Principal Investigator, Collaborative Haptics and Robotics in Medicine Lab, Stanford University

Hear from the people making the next generation of robots a reality by tuning in to "We the Geeks: Robots" live on WhiteHouse.gov/WeTheGeeks and the White House Google+ page on Friday, August 9, at 2:00 pm EDT.

Got comments or questions? Ask them using the hashtag #WeTheGeeks on Twitter and on Google+ and we'll answer some of them during the live Hangout.

Phil Larson is a Policy Advisor for Space and Aeronautics at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy