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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//PDX Hackerspace//Calendar//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
X-WR-CALNAME:PARTS - Portland Area Robotics Society
X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Los_Angeles
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260817T042614Z
UID:occurrence-263@events.pdxhackerspace.org
DTSTART:20260104T183000Z
DTEND:20260104T213000Z
DESCRIPTION:Details\n\nJoin us for another exciting session of Portland's l
 ongest-running robotics meetup! This month\, we're thrilled to welcome Dr.
  Joe Cole\, an honored member of our community\, who will be presenting on
  Teaching Physical AI with the PARTS Common Platform.\n\nAbstract\n\nAt Ro
 se City Robotics\, we use hands-on robotics to bridge the gap between abst
 ract AI and real-world autonomy. In our Engineer Boldly: AI Robotics Sprin
 t\, students learn physical AI by building and programming mobile robots t
 hat perceive\, map\, and act in the physical world using modern tools such
  as ROS 2\, LiDAR-based SLAM\, and deep-learning-based perception.\n\nThis
  talk describes how we use the PARTS Common Platform robot as a shared\, o
 pen foundation for teaching embodied intelligence. Students train and depl
 oy object-detection models\, experiment with imitation and reinforcement l
 earning\, and confront the real challenges of noisy sensors\, imperfect mo
 dels\, and hardware constraints. By learning AI directly on physical robot
 s\, participants develop an intuition for autonomy that cannot be gained f
 rom simulation alone.\n\nI’ll share lessons learned\, example student pr
 ojects\, and why accessible\, community-designed platforms like the Common
  Platform are essential for educating the next generation of roboticists.\
 n\nWho Should Attend\n\nThis presentation is designed for robotics enthusi
 asts of all levels. Whether you're a professional engineer\, a hobbyist\, 
 a student\, or simply curious about the intersection of AI and robotics\, 
 you'll find valuable insights in this talk.\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\nDr. Jo
 seph (Joe) Cole is a distinguished figure in the Portland robotics communi
 ty and an honored member of P.A.R.T.S. With a Ph.D. in Applied Physics\, J
 oe brings over 20 years of experience developing computer vision and machi
 ne learning algorithms.\n\nAs the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer 
 at Rose City Robotics\, Joe is currently focused on building robots for ma
 ny tasks. His extensive background includes work at Northrop Grumman\, App
 lied Materials\, and YorLabs\, specializing in image processing and applie
 d physics.\n\nJoe has been a valued contributor to the Portland Area Robot
 ics Society\, regularly sharing his expertise through presentations and he
 lping to bridge the gap between professional robotics development and our 
 local community.\n\nAbout P.A.R.T.S.\n\nThe Portland Area RoboTics Society
  (P.A.R.T.S.) is THE longest-running robotics meetup in Portland. We are a
 n Oregon non-profit formed to help those interested in learning about and 
 building robots. Our monthly meetings are open to the public and welcome e
 veryone from professionals to amateurs\, students to professors\, engineer
 s to artists.\nP.A.R.T.S. members explore all aspects of robotics and work
  toward expanding communication between robot enthusiasts. We share ideas\
 , experience\, and enthusiasm for building robots in an informal and suppo
 rtive environment.\n\nWhat to Bring\n\n    Your curiosity and questions\n 
    A robot (working or not) if you'd like to share or get help\n    A note
 book or laptop for capturing ideas\n\nAfter the Presentation\n\nAs always\
 , there will be time for Q&A and informal discussions after the presentati
 on. This is your chance to connect with other robotics enthusiasts\, share
  your projects\, and get feedback from the community.\n\nMore info: https:
 //portlandrobotics.org/home.php\n\nEvent page: https://events.pdxhackerspa
 ce.org/occurrences/parts-portland-area-robotics-society-2026-01-04-1
LOCATION:Section 2
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY:PARTS - Portland Area Robotics Society
URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.pdxhackerspace.org/occurrences/parts-portland-
 area-robotics-society-2026-01-04-1
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:<p>Details</p><p>Join us for another exciting 
 session of Portland's longest-running robotics meetup! This month\, we're 
 thrilled to welcome Dr. Joe Cole\, an honored member of our community\, wh
 o will be presenting on Teaching Physical AI with the PARTS Common Platfor
 m.</p><p>Abstract</p><p>At Rose City Robotics\, we use hands-on robotics t
 o bridge the gap between abstract AI and real-world autonomy. In our Engin
 eer Boldly: AI Robotics Sprint\, students learn physical AI by building an
 d programming mobile robots that perceive\, map\, and act in the physical 
 world using modern tools such as ROS 2\, LiDAR-based SLAM\, and deep-learn
 ing-based perception.</p><p>This talk describes how we use the PARTS Commo
 n Platform robot as a shared\, open foundation for teaching embodied intel
 ligence. Students train and deploy object-detection models\, experiment wi
 th imitation and reinforcement learning\, and confront the real challenges
  of noisy sensors\, imperfect models\, and hardware constraints. By learni
 ng AI directly on physical robots\, participants develop an intuition for 
 autonomy that cannot be gained from simulation alone.</p><p>I’ll share l
 essons learned\, example student projects\, and why accessible\, community
 -designed platforms like the Common Platform are essential for educating t
 he next generation of roboticists.</p><p>Who Should Attend</p><p>This pres
 entation is designed for robotics enthusiasts of all levels. Whether you'r
 e a professional engineer\, a hobbyist\, a student\, or simply curious abo
 ut the intersection of AI and robotics\, you'll find valuable insights in 
 this talk.</p><p>About the Speaker</p><p>Dr. Joseph (Joe) Cole is a distin
 guished figure in the Portland robotics community and an honored member of
  P.A.R.T.S. With a Ph.D. in Applied Physics\, Joe brings over 20 years of 
 experience developing computer vision and machine learning algorithms.</p>
 <p>As the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Rose City Robotics\, 
 Joe is currently focused on building robots for many tasks. His extensive 
 background includes work at Northrop Grumman\, Applied Materials\, and Yor
 Labs\, specializing in image processing and applied physics.</p><p>Joe has
  been a valued contributor to the Portland Area Robotics Society\, regular
 ly sharing his expertise through presentations and helping to bridge the g
 ap between professional robotics development and our local community.</p><
 p>About P.A.R.T.S.</p><p>The Portland Area RoboTics Society (P.A.R.T.S.) i
 s THE longest-running robotics meetup in Portland. We are an Oregon non-pr
 ofit formed to help those interested in learning about and building robots
 . Our monthly meetings are open to the public and welcome everyone from pr
 ofessionals to amateurs\, students to professors\, engineers to artists.<b
 r>P.A.R.T.S. members explore all aspects of robotics and work toward expan
 ding communication between robot enthusiasts. We share ideas\, experience\
 , and enthusiasm for building robots in an informal and supportive environ
 ment.</p><p>What to Bring</p><p>    Your curiosity and questions<br>    A 
 robot (working or not) if you'd like to share or get help<br>    A noteboo
 k or laptop for capturing ideas</p><p>After the Presentation</p><p>As alwa
 ys\, there will be time for Q&amp\;A and informal discussions after the pr
 esentation. This is your chance to connect with other robotics enthusiasts
 \, share your projects\, and get feedback from the community.</p><p>More i
 nfo: <a href="https://portlandrobotics.org/home.php">https://portlandrobot
 ics.org/home.php</a></p><p>Event page: <a href="https://events.pdxhackersp
 ace.org/occurrences/parts-portland-area-robotics-society-2026-01-04-1">htt
 ps://events.pdxhackerspace.org/occurrences/parts-portland-area-robotics-so
 ciety-2026-01-04-1</a></p>
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