If you’re a fan of the revolutionary Segway Personal Transporter, mark your calendars now: Inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for science and technology Dean Kamen will be the opening keynote speaker for the co-located PTDA 2009 Industry Summit and FPDA 2009 Network Symposium. To be held on October 22 to 24 at the new Hilton San Diego Bayfront, this is the first time the two organizations will co-locate their fall meetings.
Widely known as the Segway’s inventor, Kamen is president of DEKA Research & Development Corp., Manchester, N.H. As an inventor, physicist, and entrepreneur, he holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices. He has dedicated his life to developing technologies that help people lead better lives, and this inspired him to found the non-profit US FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The vision of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
Co-locating the fall meetings of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) and The FPDA Motion and Control Network (FPDA) will create natural synergies for both organizations, according to association leaders. The theme for the fall meeting is “What’s Your Next Move?” and will feature programming designed to help participants prepare for life after the recession. Attended by leaders in the industrial distribution industry, members from PTDA and FPDA will share keynote speakers, workshop sessions, and networking events over two days.
In addition to Kamen, Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for Trend Research will speak at the closing luncheon, offering economic insights. Workshop sessions will assist participants in positioning their companies to be ready to ride the first wave of upturn with focused content on uncovering the hottest markets, planning to enter those new markets, and minimizing the risks associated with seizing opportunities.
A key component of the co-located meetings will be the Motion Control Technical Conference and Showcase. The conference is the premier event for technical specialists in the power transmission/motion control industry to learn about motion control trends and technologies. Part forum, part technical benchmarking, the conference focuses on the latest trends and information in the motion control arena. The showcase offers manufacturers of motion control products a venue to display their hardware, software, and services to those who market and sell motion control products throughout North America. The sponsoring associations are also inviting local FIRST Robotics Competition teams to demonstrate motion control capabilities by displaying and operating their competition robots during the Showcase.
For more information, visit ptda.org/IndustrySummit or www.fpda.org.
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- www.ptda.org
- www.fpda.org
