For the first time in two years, robots, simulations and video games will take over the Orlando Science Center in a fully onsite and in-person Otronicon.
The annual science and technology expo, started in 2006, will feature interactive technology exhibits, workshops, shows and competitions from Feb. 18-21. Exhibitors range from The Walt Disney Co., Central Florida’s biggest employer, to Winter Garden-based exoskeleton startup Rake Technologies Inc.
Otronicon often draws a wide array of attendees, including families and students. For the businesses and organizations on display at this year’s show, it’s an opportunity to show off new innovations and engage with students who make up the workforce of the future.
For more on what’s in store at Otronicon, check out the gallery above.
For example, event sponsor Manufacturers Association of Central Florida will exhibit, with the goal of informing young people of the career opportunities in manufacturing, Executive Director Donnie Casey told Orlando Inno. The manufacturing industry, which faces 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, isn’t the “dirty job” it’s often viewed as, Casey said.
Instead, it uses engineering and robotics, he said. At Otronicon, the association will display a model of the advanced cargo loaders made by JBT Corp., which operates in Orlando. “It’s not the same old process it used to be. There’s tech involved.”
Meanwhile, Orlando-based training company Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc. will showcase its immersive medical training simulation it previously displayed at trade show I/ITSEC, CEO Waymon Armstrong told Orlando Inno. “It’s the premier STEM event in Central Florida.”
Other highlights include a virtual nature park that attendees can stroll through using the CAVE system presented by the University of Central Florida. The system is likened to the Holodeck simulation device seen in the Star Trek TV franchise.
Speaking of which, Otronicon also will feature a new science center exhibit called “Science Fiction, Science Future.” The exhibit focuses on modern innovations, such as tablets and biometric health data, that were predicted decades ago by science fiction stories.
Like many technology events, Otronicon relied heavily on virtual attendance during its February 2021 show. While local technology events were either primarily or entirely virtual in 2020, expos like Synapse Orlando and I/ITSEC returned to being primarily or entirely in-person events in the second half of 2021.
For more information on Otronicon, check out the website here.
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