Bringing robotics research and developments in this field closer to the public - this was the intention of the European robotics community when it launched the ERW in 2011. It is organized by the Sparc organization, a public-private partnership for robotics topics between euRobotics and the European Commission.

Numerous lectures and interactive exhibitions on robotics, automation and cooperation between humans and machines have been announced. Over 1000 events in Europe will show how robots affect the way people work, live and learn. Each year, ERW selects a location to host the Central Opening event. This year's Central Opening event took place in Augsburg, Bavaria.

On Friday, November 16, ERW 2018 kicked off with an opening reception at Augsburg City Hall. Invited guests from industry, research and politics as well as interested visitors came together here. District President Dr. Lohner gave a brief welcome address.

On Saturday, November 17, futurologist Vito di Bari gave a lecture on "Robots, AI and the Future - Technology vs. Humanity" in the Zeughaus. He took the audience on a journey into the future in which humans and robots work hand in hand.

Until Sunday, November 18, there was a robot exhibition, numerous public lectures and various activities for adults and children at the Augsburg Zeughaus. This was to be seen on site in Augsburg:

• ABB's 'YuMi' folding box application, which provides visitors with giveaways
• Kuka's Building Challenge application, which you can compete against and get an autograph from a robot
• the 'rc_visard' from Roboception gripping apples
• the five-finger hand from Schunk
• the humanoid robot from PAL on the 'REEM-C' and 'TIAGo' platforms
• the 'Motoman GP8' red dot design robot from Yaskawa, which visitors can use to learn how easy it is to program robots

What is happening in Europe?

In southern Europe, the Italian Scuola di Robotica is organizing around 250 events. Around 200 events are planned in Spain, including 180 in Catalonia. In Western Europe, Germany is organizing over 70 events on various topics, which are open to companies and research institutions alike.

Central Eastern Europe is focusing on improving access to new technologies for everyone. In Romania, e-Civis, the organizer of the 2019 European Robotics Forum, will teach teachers how to integrate robotics into the curriculum, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary will both organize children's workshops on programs and competitions.