Robotics Workshop Connects Industry, Academia and the Future of Manufacturing

The future of manufacturing may depend less on machines themselves and more on how quickly people learn to build and use robots. That was the focus of a robotics workshop at Stony Brook University, where leaders in industry and research met to turn ideas into action.

Held April 28 at the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT), the workshop brought together manufacturers, faculty and economic development leaders to discuss how automation and robotics can impact and improve Long Island's industrial landscape.

The half-day event, organized by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS), the Long Island Manufacturing Extension Partnership (LIMEP) and CEWIT, brought together partners with a shared goal to strengthen connections between research and industry.

"This was the first workshop we co-organized with LIMEP and CEWIT, bringing together industry and our faculty for a highly productive networking session, and it was truly a wonderful sight to see industry professionals engaging with faculty to explore how they can collaborate to solve real-world challenges," said Karina Torres Castro, manager of research and innovation in CEAS and a co-organizer of the event. "The event showcased the exciting robotics research underway within CEAS while fostering new relationships with Long Island industry, and it has already sparked collaborations between companies and faculty that we will continue to grow in the coming days. We look forward to organizing more events like this in the near future as these relationships continue to grow."

"The convergence of AI and robotics, known as embodied intelligence, promises to unlock a new era of productivity, where machines seamlessly assist humans in the physical world," said Rong Zhao, director of CEWIT. "By enhancing efficiency across sectors like healthcare, logistics and construction, it can reduce dangerous or repetitive work while creating new business opportunities. If guided thoughtfully, this shift could lead to more abundant economies, improved quality of life and broader access to essential services. This workshop is taking our first step of this exciting journey."

"This event is intended to foster this collaboration between industry and our research faculty on the topic of robotic innovation," said Amy Erickson, executive director of LIMEP. "It is critical to expose our industry partners, our manufacturers, to all the resources Stony Brook University has to offer."

Industry leaders said it is necessary to embrace robotics to remain competitive.

"We find ourselves today in a place where the U.S. can't make things competitively compared to other countries," said Evan Beard, chief executive officer of Standard Bots. "We believe robotics are that bridge. They'll allow this country to be more competitive, to multiply the productivity of our workers."

Beard described a shift in how robots are trained, from programming to learning by demonstration. "You're showing the robot what to do. You're not writing code," he said. "That allows robots to now do 10 to 100 times more jobs than they could have done before."

Stony Brook faculty are also working to make robotics more adaptable and easier to deploy.

"We have more than 20 faculty members who are interested in robotics and AI," said Nilanjan Chakraborty, associate professor of mechanical engineering. "Across perception, planning, learning and hardware design, we have expertise across the entire stack."

He emphasized that effective automation does not always require large datasets. "Data is required, but you don't need a lot of data. If you use data and physics appropriately, even without expertise, you can program a robot to do your work."

William Stewart, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, discussed how robots can physically keep up with advances in intelligence.

"As the control systems and data and AI and intelligence in the robot gets better and better, it's going to start outstripping the physical capabilities of the robot," Stewart said. "Eventually the robots are going to be intelligent enough and have the control system to be capable enough to do things that the physical hardware cannot do."

Daniel Selli, chief operating officer of aRoboticsCompany, discussed how these ideas are being applied, pointing to real-world use cases already underway, including unmanned systems primarily used for critical infrastructure repairs, inspections, non-destructive testing and surface treatments. He noted that these systems are designed to reduce risk in hazardous environments while improving speed and accuracy, an approach echoed by panelists who described how robotics is already being integrated into daily operations.

For Ryan McGann, founder and chief executive officer of CubicAcres, a sustainably powered hydroponic vertical farming company, automation is being driven by necessity.

"There's a huge need for it," McGann said. "We're implementing automation robotics just to address labor shortages in the agricultural fields and create a clean, sterile environment for the crops."

In healthcare, robotics serves as a tool rather than a replacement, a contrast to its expanding role in manufacturing and agriculture.

"In our field, the robot is more like an extension of ourselves," said Georgios Georgakis, MD, a robotic surgeon from Stony Brook Department of Surgery's Division of Surgical Oncology. "It allows us to enter small spaces and perform more complex surgeries in a smaller space."

"There is a lot of research going on right now," he added. "If we can translate some of the things industry has developed into our everyday surgical life with supervision, it would be much easier."

The event also provided an opportunity for students to showcase their own work, offering a glimpse into how the next generation is approaching robotic adaptation. Mechanical engineering graduate student Kiernan Boettcher described a drone safety system designed to reduce injury risk. "It gives you more of a chance of surviving and not developing any life-threatening injuries if a drone should fall."

For Yiunfan Hu, a junior mechanical engineering undergraduate student working on collision-resistant drones, the goal is to design systems that can adapt to changing environments.

"This is designed so that if you collide into something, you can recover and keep flying," Hu said.

"The whole idea here is for engineers to see what resources exist for them, build that collaboration, and then it just morphs," Erickson said. "It's just having patience, building that relationship."

- Beth Squire