InOrbit Robot Space Hosts a Series of Industry, Community Events

Robotics gatherings are increasingly common, but there are relatively few places where the public can see robots in operation and even get hands-on experience. InOrbit Inc., which provides software and support for robot operations, or RobOps, has successfully hosted a number of community events this summer.

In February, the company opened the InOrbit Robot Space at 293 Castro St. in Mountain View, Calif. Since then, InOrbit has hosted meetings around National Robotics Week, a summer camp group, and a free Women in Robotics event last week.

Having a permanent venue in Silicon Valley to see autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) at work and to learn about industry tools for RobOps can help the public understand the potential of robotics and provide networking opportunities for the industry, said Florian Pestoni, co-founder and CEO of InOrbit.

Students get close to robots

Last month, the InOrbit Robot Space hosted the 2023 summer cohort of more than a dozen students from SuperTech FT at its storefront. Pestoni and Dr. Albert Hu, founder of SuperTech FT led a workshop focused on robot orchestration, fleet management, and the future of human-robot collaboration.

The program, which focused on mechanics and teamwork rather than coding as in many robotics initiatives, was part of the summer-long San Francisco 2023 AI Robotics Youth Program. Pestoni said his team "is proud to help educate and inspire the next generation of roboticists."

InOrbit also participated in a Taste of Mountain View and an exhibition at the Mountain View Civic Center Plaza for the 8th Annual Technology Showcase.

Women in Robotics meet at InOrbit Robot Space

In "Off the Clock With Women in Robotics and InOrbit," speakers and attendees discussed how to support women in the robotics industry. Women are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with only 7% of robotics engineers being female, according to Zippia Inc.

Women in Robotics has 1,698 members and 11 chapters worldwide, including one in the San Francisco Bay area.

InOrbit offers information and tickets about upcoming events in the InOrbit Robot Space on its website.