Highlights from the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Industry Showcase

Over 500 delegates from across industry came to Manchester to explore opportunities in robotics and AI, and connect with leading experts.

By Alan Cowie

What a spectacle! On Tuesday 12th March, the Audacious Church venue in Manchester was packed with over 500 people from a variety of sectors and businesses coming together with a common interest: to learn about robotics and AI, increase business productivity and establish meaningful connections.

We also aimed to inspire delegates by showcasing success stories on the main stage. The show’s sponsor Tharsus provided an inspiring masterclass on “how to load the dice when seeking to grow through innovation” which was delivered by their CTO Dave Swan.

The live technology demonstration was provided by Jag Minhas of Sensing Feeling. Their company provides human emotion sensing technology to assess the levels of mood or engagement from an audience. Jag was able to demonstrate which of the four content streams around the venue were generating the best vibes. Perfect if you’re looking for real-time, accurate feedback, without having to ask your customers to complete surveys and forms.

Meanwhile in Stream B, the ‘collaborating’ stream, David Bisset, RAI SIG Advisory Board Chair ran a session all about sharing best practice on effective collaboration between small and large companies in order to accelerate innovation. This was based on the Thought Leadership Paper on SME Engagement.

Commenting on the necessity for events like these, David said: “In the UK we have a lot of companies that understand that RAI can benefit their business and raise their productivity level, but many of them don’t have the knowledge about how to actually use the technology. KTN’s role is to act as an independent, trusted advisor to go out and talk to companies about their needs and connect them with the relevant partners to help them on their journey.”

Ensuring we led by example, our showcase was packed with technology, including electronic self check-in desks and, for the first time, the Grip App to help delegates get the most out of the day. Powered by AI, the app allowed delegates to connect with each other and schedule meetings. Over 250 connections were established and 154 face-to-face meetings were held on the day.

“From NOC perspective I’d say this is the best show we’ve done in a long time” – the verdict from Aidan Thorn of the National Oceanography Centre, one of the 37 exhibitors who were there to showcase their innovative technology and services.

Many months of planning and hard work from the RAI SIG team and colleagues across KTN went into this event. We are very grateful and thankful to delegates, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors for being so enthusiastic and making this first event such a success. We already have people asking us when the next one will be?

All I can say is “I’ll be back.”

Watch the video highlights below!