Carnegie Mellon's Robot Hall of Fame Joins RoboBusiness 2006 Conference and Exposition; Induction Ceremony Highlighted at International Business Development Event for the Mobile Robotics and Intelligent Systems Industry

Business Wire, Jan 23, 2006

NORTHBORO, Mass. & FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Robotics Trends and IDG World Expo today announced that Carnegie Mellon University's Robot Hall of Fame will hold its 2006 induction ceremony at the 3rd annual RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition, the international business development event for mobile robotics and intelligent systems. The conference and exposition will be held at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, PA on June 20-21, 2006. The event website is http://www.robobusiness2006.com

According to Dan Kara, conference chairman and President of Robotics Trends, Inc., "We are extremely pleased to announce that the 2006 Robot Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be part of the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition. The Robot Hall of Fame induction adds a great deal of excitement, energy, prestige and glamour to the RoboBusiness event. Past inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame include some of the most significant and well known robots in the world including Honda's Asimo, NASA's Mars Pathfinder and Unimate, the first industrial robot arm that worked on the assembly line. The Robot Hall of Fame jurors are an equally distinguished collection of international scholars, researchers, writers, and designers including Gordon Bell, Arthur C. Clarke, Steve Wozniak, Rodney Brooks and others. With the addition of the Robot Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the RoboBusiness event becomes even more impactful, and certainly more entertaining."

According to Don Marinelli, Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center, "The RoboBusiness 2006 Conference and Exposition will draw business and academic leaders to Pittsburgh from around the world. The Robot Hall of Fame induction ceremony, on June 21, 2006, will honor the world's greatest achievements in industrial and entertainment robots, as well as robots from science fiction. What better place to salute these great robots than in front of this diverse and knowledgeable audience of conference attendees?"

Matt Mason, Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute continues, "As the world leader in robotics education, Carnegie Mellon University developed the Robot Hall of Fame expressly for the purpose of educating the public about the value of robots to human society. RoboBusiness 2006 gives Carnegie Mellon a highly visible international platform for honoring the great robots and their accomplishments."

About Robotics Trends

Robotics Trends is the world's first integrated media firm serving the burgeoning personal, service and mobile robotics marketplace, servicing their clientele through three major business divisions:

--Robotics Trends Publishing, which produces www.roboticstrends.com, an online news and information portal focused on business and technology trends for people who build, buy, invest in, and seek to understand the personal, service, mobile and military robotics market;

--Robotics Trends Events, which produces the RoboNexus Conference and Exposition (www.robonexus.com) and the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition (www.robobusiness2006.com); and

--Robotics Trends Analyst Services serving the strategic consulting needs of leading emerging robotics manufacturers.

About IDG World Expo

IDG World Expo (www.idgworldexpo.com) produces technology-focused tradeshows, conferences and events for professionals seeking world-class education, peer-to-peer networking and one-stop comparison shopping. As the leading technology event management company, IDG World Expo leverages its experience and knowledge of technology-focused events and conferences, enabling technology companies to capture the attention and loyalty of influential buyers. IDG World Expo's portfolio of conferences and events includes Macworld Conference & Expo(R), LinuxWorld Conference & Expo(R), Bio--IT World Conference Expo(TM), Wireless Sensing Solutions(TM), Syndicate(TM), RoboBusiness and RoboNexus. IDG World Expo is a business unit of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and event company.

About the Robot Hall of Fame

The Robot Hall of Fame is an educational activity of Carnegie Mellon University, founded by Dr. James H. Morris and co-directed by the Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center and the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. The Robot Hall of Fame was established by Carnegie Mellon in November 2003 to honor the world's great robots, both real and fictional, with their creators. The current members of the Robot Hall of Fame include the following industrial and entertainment robots: ASIMO, the Mars Pathfinder Sojourners Rover, Shakey,and Unimate. The Robot Hall of Fame also includes the following science fiction robots: Astro Boy, C-3PO, R2-D2, HAL-9000, and Robby the Robot. "Robot Hall of Fame" is a registered service mark of Carnegie Mellon University.

More information about Carnegie Mellon's Robot Hall of Fame is available at www.robothalloffame.org

For information on RoboBusiness 2006 sponsorship, exhibit and speaking opportunities available, please contact Howard Weinman, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at (508) 351-6606 x103 or email hw@roboticstrends.com.