SRI International to Demonstrate Dexterous Telesurgical Robot at Block Party Event During National Robotics Week

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, will demonstrate its M7 dexterous telesurgical robot at a Robot Block Party at Stanford University's Paul Brest Hall from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14. The local event is part of the first annual National Robotics Week (NRW) occurring from April 10-18, 2010. The event is free and open to the public, and is one of several events scheduled in the Bay Area to celebrate robotics technology.

In March, the U.S. Congress officially designated NRW as an annual event to take place the second week in April. Goals of planned events include recognition of the transformative role of robotics technology and the ability of robots to educate. In addition, it is hoped the events will inspire students of all ages to pursue careers in robotics and other science-, technology-, engineering-, and math-related fields. The block party will showcase cutting-edge robotics technologies, including robots that drive cars, climb walls, assemble delicate parts, and help perform medical procedures.

"SRI International supports National Robotics Week and believes it is an important opportunity to highlight developments in robotics technology and to inspire students to pursue careers in robotics and other STEM-related fields," said Thomas Low, director of SRI's Medical Systems and Telerobotics program. "The dexterous telemanipulation capability embodied in SRI's M7 robot is now making its way into applications where remote handling is necessary for operator safety, such as bomb disposal and biohazard handling and inspection."

SRI has a long history in the field of medical robotics, in particular through its pioneering telepresence technologies. In 1995, SRI spun off Intuitive Surgical, Inc. to commercialize its revolutionary robotic surgical technology. More recently, SRI's M7 telesurgical robot conducted the first robotic surgery demonstration in a simulated zero-gravity environment, and was part of an experiment last year involving multiple biomedical robots manipulated from different locations. The M7 represents the next generation of telesurgical capabilities from SRI that leverage the organization's comprehensive portfolio of expertise, which includes stereo imaging, telerobotics, sensory devices, video, speech recognition, and telecommunications, to perform monitoring, actual operations, and assistance-related activities from remote locations in real time.

In addition to its robotics research, SRI has participated in numerous industry events. In January, SRI hosted the first Silicon Valley Robotics Forum at its headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. The event established collaborations between robotics organizations in the Bay Area and brought together more than 30 organizations involved in robotics commercialization, research, and development. One outcome was the establishment of a working group to plan future meetings and to create a formal robotics technology cluster. Details for the next robotics forum will be posted at www.svrf.net.  

For more information about SRI's medical robots and telepresence technologies, visit http://www.sri.com/robotics/telemedicine.html#M7

For more information about Stanford University's Robot Block Party and National Robotics Week, visit http://www.law.stanford.edu/calendar/details/4049 and http://www.nationalroboticsweek.org

About SRI International

Silicon Valley-based SRI International is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. SRI, which was founded by Stanford University as Stanford

Research Institute in 1946 and became independent in 1970, has been meeting the strategic needs of clients and partners for more than 60 years. Perhaps best known for its invention of the computer mouse and interactive computing, SRI has also been responsible for major advances in networking and communications, robotics, drug discovery and development, advanced materials, atmospheric research, education research, economic development, national security, and more. The nonprofit institute performs sponsored research and development for government agencies, businesses, and foundations. SRI also licenses its technologies, forms strategic alliances, and creates spin-off companies. In 2009, SRI's consolidated revenues, including its wholly owned for-profit subsidiary, Sarnoff Corporation, were approximately $470 million.

SOURCE SRI International