Heba Khamis: What does a robotic future really look like?

Heba Khamis, co-founder and CEO of Contactile, will discuss a future filled with robots. At the mention of the word ‘robot’, most people imagine a futuristic human-like robot that can see and hear, can walk and talk, and can manipulate things with its ‘hands’ – like Sonny from the movie iRobot, or maybe even the Terminator.

There aren’t many (if any) robots like this just yet, but actually, robots are already all around us – they are vacuuming our homes, manufacturing our cars and assembling our electronics – and robotic technologies are improving every day. To predict what our robotic future might look like, we will look at how technology has changed the world in the past, what technology and robotics are doing for us in the present, innovations in robotics today and how we will adapt to these future robotic technologies. 

Contactile – a Sydney-based start-up, making tactile sensors that give robots a human sense of touch to enable them to perform difficult material handling tasks. Since 2014, Heba has been developing tactile sensors for robotic gripping that are inspired by the human sense of touch. Heba holds a PhD, B (Software) Engineering and B Medical Science and has been a researcher for over 10 years applying her expertise in biosignal processing, pattern recognition and machine learning to complex biomedical problems including epilepsy, cardiac diseases, malnutrition and human tactile physiology.

Also speaking at this location at 7:30 pm is Bruce Isaacs.

About PS40

The main appeal of this bar by Michael Chiem and Thor Bergquist is its in-house sodas. The bar's taps pour PS Soda's core range – wattle cola; bush tonic; smoked lemonade; and blackstrap ginger – plus a seasonal flavour. Lo-Fi Wines put together a wine list of around 35 bottles. Its focus is on organic wines from small producers. The bright, high-ceilinged interior is dominated by bold swathes of black and white. Custom-built stools and tables rest alongside elegant windows facing the bustle of King Street. The soda-making plant sits on a raised platform opposite the long bar.