Heartland Robotics and Automation Conference unveils speaking lineup

The Heartland Robotics Cluster has announced the speaking lineup for its upcoming conference, which will take place on October 24 at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center in Lincoln, Neb.

The 2025 Heartland Robotics and Automation Conference will offer keynote discussions, engaging robotics demonstrations and boost awareness for Nebraska’s robotics industry. Registration is now open for industry professionals, educators, students and anybody interested in robotics and automation.

Heartland Robotics and Automation Conference details

The event opens to the public at 10:00 a.m. CT, with onsite registration, over 10 vendor booths to explore, and networking.

The first keynote speaker, Vivian Chu of Diligent Robotics, will share her journey building artificial intelligence-powered assistants for hospitals and advancing collaborative robotics in healthcare.

Next, attendees are welcome to attend breakout sessions featuring the following presenters:

• Ryan McCormick, project manager/principal investigator of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
  • He will deliver a session titled “A Robotics Journey from Nebraska to the Moon and Mars.”
• Derek Kowalski, Nucor Vulcraft Nebraska; Doug Rood, Collins Aerospace; Travis Turek, Bruckman Rubber; and Mike Boyle, Kawasaki
  • The panel will focus on attracting and keeping talent in the robotics industry.
• Eric Abrahamson and Jim Harvey  
  • The duo will co-host a session featuring the intersection of national security and cinematic storytelling. 

Abrahamson and Harvey will expand on the prior breakout session with an interactive fireside chat. They will discuss experiences with innovation foundry events, where attendees ideate solutions to futuristic problems. Celebrating Nebraska robotics, an award will be presented to highlight outstanding contributions to the industry. The event closes with a networking social, including demonstrations from startups such as Marble Technologies and ALA Engineering.

“This conference is where ideas meet action,” said Dan Hoffman, CEO of Invest Nebraska. “We’re excited to bring together industry and education to explore how robotics can shape the future of our workforce, our economy, and our everyday lives.”