Robotics, vision, motion groups progress in 2012

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) has had a busy start to 2012. The group has added its first woman chair, Catherine Morris, and has launched a blog site to assist students to find a career in the robotics field. RIA, along with AIA and MCA, renamed the Automation Technologies Council to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

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The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) has been busy in the first month of 2012 with a series of developments aimed at promoting awareness about the automation and robotics field. The RIA has added Catherine Morris as a chair for the RIA, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She will also serve as a member on the board of directors for the newly-named A3.

The RIA has launched a blog site called the Rho Bota Phi (say: Robot-ify) blog as a way to promote unity between businesses and universities and create awareness for students interested in a career in robotics. In addition to promoting available jobs, the blog is also dedicated to creating awareness about changes and developments in the robotics field. The RIA currently has 40 colleges and universities as members.

On the leadership side for the RIA, Catherine Morris has been named the first woman Chair of the RIA. Morris becomes RIA’s 20th Chair since its founding in 1974, succeeding Dean Elkins of Yaskawa Motoman, who served as Chair in 2010 and 2011. Elkins will on the RIA Board as Past Chair.

Morris was first elected to the RIA Board in 2003 and most recently served as the Board’s First Vice Chair. She is a Past Chair and current member of the RIA Membership Committee and also chairs the show committee for Automate 2013, RIA’s flagship event.

Morris will also serve on the board of directors for the newly named Association for Advancing Automation (A3), which was formerly known as the Automation Technologies Council (ATC). The Motion Control Association (MCA) and the Automated Imaging Association (AIA) are the other groups that form A3. The purpose of the name change was to better reflect their position, which is to promote and advocate for changes and developments in the automation field.

Robotic Industries Association (RIA) 

www.robotics.org 

Rho Bota Phi Blog

www.rhobotaphi.com 

Automated Imaging Association (AIA)

www.visiononline.org 

Motion Control Association (MCA)

www.motioncontrolonline.org 

- Edited by Chris Vavra, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com