Robotics

From Greenland’s melting glaciers to endangered African elephants to the up-close effects of ocean acidification and dying coral reefs, immersive VR is bringing viewers inside the effects of climate change and closer to the beauty and the beasts of our planet that need saving.

Solar power plants provide many benefits but at least one perpetual challenge: How do you keep grass under the panels from growing too high? Mowers with traditional blades can damage equipment. Hand-held weed-whackers are a labor-intensive solution. Even the sheep tried at one small site behaved unreliably. So why not innovate and let engineers-to-be address this question for college credit?

On average, children with cancer will spend 1,000 days undergoing treatment. Knowing this can be a scary and difficult time for young patients, Aflac partnered with Sproutel to develop "My Special Aflac Duck." The duck is designed to be a comfort and help children share their emotions. The robotic companion recently earned SXSW's People Choice Award in the Robotics & Hardware category in addition to previous accolades from TIME Magazine and Engadget.

This year’s season is over for high school robotics teams across Michigan, but Consumers Energy is still bringing the energy to their cause.

Consumers Energy sponsored last month’s FIRST Championship for high school teams in Detroit. Why? Because we feel we can’t do enough to promote this fun and life-changing program in schools. Our charitable foundation last year contributed more than $450,000 to support STEM programs, including FIRST teams across the state, because we see the need for students to fill demanding jobs with our company and others in Michigan.

This past weekend, Consumers Energy sponsored the FIRST Championship for high school robotics teams across the world. The competition was held in Michigan, with 90 local teams participating - more than any other state! By supporting events like the FIRST Championship, Consumers Energy hopes to advance the development of skills employers in the area need, from manufacturing and engineering to marketing and communications.

What does Aflac’s iconic duck have to do with kids facing cancer? Knowing the power of companionship, Aflac paired its brand icon with the latest in social robotics to evolve the company's impact on pediatric cancer. In this panel discussion from the BRITE ’19 Conference, the creators behind My Special Aflac Duck discuss how insights from this initiative can help any brand leverage existing assets, rethink long-term commitments, and boldly embrace innovation to advance purpose.

Ellen Green signed up for her high school robotics team because she’s competitive and likes to be involved – not because she was looking for a career.

But Green fell in love with industrial engineering while leading Notre Dame (Pontiac) Prep’s team to success and championships in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competitions.

We support FIRST Robotics—which held its national championship in Detroit in 2018 in the first year of a three-year contract—because it creates interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields among Michigan students like Green. In 2018, our foundation contributed more than $450,000 for FIRST Robotics teams at elementary, middle and high school levels across the state.

Bridgestone Corporation announced that it will take part in an international space exploration mission together with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corporation. Recently announced by JAXA and Toyota, the goals of this mission are to expand the domain of human activity and develop intellectual property on space exploration.

Students participating in FIRST are eligible to apply for over $80 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges and companies. Arrow has sponsored the Colorado regional competition for six years.

The integration of new technology tools are the next step in the EHS&S technology adoption curve, which for most companies began with the implementation of their software system. Today these innovations are shedding new light on EHS&S operational risks in real time.