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Helmsley Foundation Grant for New Robotics Center

Helmsley Foundation Grant for New Robotics Center

December 10, 2012

Press Releases, Robotics & High-Tech

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, December 7, 2012 – The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust Fund is providing more than $6.2 million to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for multidisciplinary, application-oriented robotics research and systems development.

The grant will be used to establish the ABC Robotics Center at the University. The acronym stands for agricultural, biological and cognitive robotics. Research and development will focus on medical, service, industrial, and agricultural robotics. View this short video clip on the ABC Center>>

Fully autonomous robots, capable of performing new tasks in complex and unknown environments and interacting with people, do not yet exist.

Robots require human-like cognitive capabilities to successfully enter real-world settings and cope with dynamic and unstructured human environments. This requires robots to be equipped with advanced perception and dexterity, as well as the ability to adapt to changing conditions and to efficiently learn new tasks.

“The human interface is also critical to the successful integration of robots within society,” says Prof. Dan Blumberg, deputy vice president and dean for research and development at Ben-Gurion University.

“Robots will need to be equipped with specific physical and behavioral characteristics to make interaction comfortable and natural to humans.

“This important component will be addressed by research seeking understanding of cognitive processes in humans and animals in order to create autonomous robots that can interact intuitively with humans and in human environments,” Blumberg says.

Research will also be conducted to gain an improved understanding of the principles of intelligence based on insights gained in these robotic experiments. A portion of the grant also provides fellowships to postdoctoral and doctoral students, updated technological equipment and additional faculty positions.

“The Helmsley Charitable Trust is proud to partner with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in advancing the science, technology and human interactivity of robotics, which will be so critical to medicine, industry and agriculture in the future,” says Sandor Frankel, a Helmsley trustee.

BGU has achieved worldwide recognition in robotics with advanced laboratories where substantial, cutting-edge research is conducted in cooperation with leading international research groups.

With more than 20 years of accumulated experience, BGU is a leader in the field, with scientists conducting applied research in robotics technologies relevant to agricultural, industrial, safety, and security tasks, as well as basic research in mechanical design, algorithms, cognition and neurosciences.

“This grant provides an exciting opportunity for BGU to attract more world class robotics experts, fund important projects and enhance the training of students in medical, cognitive and agricultural robotics development,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of Negev.

“We are both pleased and proud to be partnering with the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust in pursuit of research excellence in the field of robotics.”

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting effective nonprofits in a variety of selected areas. Since 2008, when the Trust began its active grant-making, it has committed over $700 million to a wide range of charitable organizations. For more information on the Trust and its programs, please visit www.helmsleytrust.org.

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

BGU at a glance:  

20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

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