Conference: 2025 Midwest Robotics Conference

The robotics field is experiencing tremendous growth due to algorithmic and technological advances, the availability of common low-cost sensors and platforms, the standardization of open-source development, and large-scale industrial initiatives. These advancements, coupled with a rapidly growing cohort of talented, highly skilled roboticists, combine to accelerate the transition of robotics from research labs to real-world deployment---reshaping industries, enhancing daily life, and transforming the way we interact with technology in our homes, workplaces, and public spaces. A key driver of this progress is the presence of close-knit communities of robotics researchers and practitioners from academia and industry, who foster collaboration, exchange cutting-edge ideas, mentor the next generation of roboticists, and bridge the gap between fundamental research and real-world applications. The Midwest Robotics Workshop (MWRW) brings together roboticists from in and around the Midwest, providing a unique opportunity for researchers and practitioners to share their work with others and to network in a focused setting, with the goal of creating a more cohesive and vibrant robotics community in the Midwest. A defining feature of MWRW is its invited talks that showcase senior Ph.D. students and early career (i.e., pre-tenure) faculty, providing them with valuable exposure, increasing the visibility of their work within the robotics community, and offering opportunities to receive insightful feedback from senior researchers. This award supports non-local students in participating in MWRW 2025, which will take place June 2–3, 2025 in Chicago, IL. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.