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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM) will host a technical interchange meeting on industrial exoskeletons on Wednesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 29, 2017. This meeting is an interagency collaboration among the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC). For the purpose of this meeting, “exoskeleton” is a general term that includes robotic devices that are human-wearable or human-attachable.
Purpose
The purpose of this meeting is to engage the robotics community on industrial applications of human-wearable and human-attachable robotic devices to enable and proliferate use among the various occupational groups. Breakout sessions will be held to foster more detailed and open discussions. Actions and status from the exoskeleton technical interchange meeting held in January 2017 will be discussed.
Objectives
- Identify federal agencies and their respective interests, initiatives, projects, and deployments of human-wearable and human-attachable robotic devices for industrial (non-medical, non-military) applications
- Identify opportunities to transfer knowledge and technologies from medical and military applications to industrial applications
- Identify the key framework elements for a body of knowledge and a community of practice on human-wearable and human-attachable robotic devices
- Discuss terminology and standards among industrial end-users, Government industrial program leaders, insurance representatives, and the testing and standards community
- Identify two or three industrial scenarios for a collaborative test bed demonstration
- Facilitate the active engagement of the robotics community and its stakeholders
Participants
Subject matter experts, researchers and principal investigators, technologists, program/project managers, regulators, technology and service providers, stakeholders, and end-users from government, academic, industrial, and international communities are invited to this open meeting.
Meeting Location:
Crystal Gateway Marriott
1700 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Arlington, VA 22202
Attire
The attire is Business Casual for the meeting. Military personnel are not required to wear uniforms.
Program (Draft)
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
- Welcome, Introduction, & Objectives. Rod Rimando (DOE/EM)
- Workforce Perspective. Speaker: Jim Key (United Steelworkers, Atomic Energy Workers Council)
- Industry (Retail) Perspective. Speakers: Amanda Manna (Lowe’s) and Alan Asbeck (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
- Workplace Physical Demands and Musculoskeletal Injury Surveillance. Speaker: Brian Lowe (NIOSH)
- Industry (Ergonomics) Perspective. Speaker: Matthew Marino (Briotix, Inc.)
- Industry (Automotive) Perspective. Speaker: Jun Ashihara (Honda Motor Co., Ltd.)
- Overview and Objectives of Topical Breakout Sessions. Jason Wheeler (DOE Sandia National Laboratories)
Thursday, June 29, 2017
- Industry (Automotive) Perspective. Speaker: Frank Pochiro (BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC)
- Industry (Automotive) Perspective. Speaker: Marty Linn (General Motors) and Josh Mehling
- User Group Perspective. Speaker: Thomas Sugar (Wearable Robotics Association (WearRA)
- Standards, Terminology Working Group, ASTM Standards Development. Speaker: Roger Bostelman (NIST)
- Update on Military Applications. Speaker: Michael Samuel (NSRDEC)
- Update on Medical Applications. Speaker: Kendra Betz (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) and Vivek Pinto (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
Attendees with Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) Badges:
Attendees with HSPD-12 badges AND their 4-8-digit PIN number can use the kiosk located in the Forrestal lobby to encode their badges. This allows attendees to enter the access-controlled areas via the turnstiles.
Those with HSPD-12 badges but do not have their PIN or have trouble using the kiosk, will be able to enter by presenting their badge to protective force personnel and having their belongings scanned; a visitor’s badge is not required.
All Other US Citizen Attendees: Attendees not issued HSPD-12 badges will be directed to the visitor’s desk to obtain a visitor’s badge. Expect long wait times in the morning on June 28; arrive early. Visitors must have one of the following forms of identification:
- A Real-ID Act compliant driver’s license (As of June 6, driver’s licenses from Alaska, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, and Montana will not be accepted);
- U.S. passport or passport card;
- A military ID; or
- Other forms such as a Permanent Resident Card, non-U.S. passport, PIV card.
Foreign Nationals: Non-U.S. citizens planning to attend must complete the attached “Unclassified Foreign National Visits & Assignments Questionnaire,” and FAX to Christi Sullivan at 202-586-6773 no later than June 14, 2017. Do not send the form via e-mail.
Laptops
Laptop computers (business and personal) are permitted in the Forrestal Building. If you plan to bring a laptop, provide its brand and model as well as its serial number to Christi Sullivan (christi.sullivan [at] em.doe.gov (christi[dot]sullivan[at]em[dot]doe[dot]gov)).
Upon arrival, protective force personnel will issue a Passage Point temporary property pass for your laptop. Attendees will be required to present and return the temporary property pass to protective force personnel upon departure from the Forrestal Building. Attendees are responsible for maintaining possession of the temporary property pass for the duration of their stay.