RoboCafé is broadcasted live from TU Delft Campus. This 30 minute online event is an informal get-together for all of us interested in robotics, AI and people-machine collaboration. Every edition has a different theme and is shaped as a meeting of minds between two experts – 1 from the world of robotics, 1 from the world of work.

On Tuesday 23 March, Jan van der Tempel, founder of walk to work innovator Ampelmann and DOB Academy, an offshore education provider, will go head to head with successful robotics entrepreneur Crijn Bouman, CEO at ROCSYS, the solution for automated electronic vehicle charging.

Both men have ample experience with building technology and organisations in adverse environments – suchs as harbours, high seas and the global economy. Their RoboCafé conversation will focus on the virtues of being rude to robots.

As a rule, we are expected to treat robots with care. This is an emerging and often fragile technology. But are we perhaps too accommodating and forgiving towards cognitive robots? Could this be hampering their development? Could it be true that difficult conditions push cognitive robotics towards a higher level of performance? And isn’t this also true for the teams of which robots are an integral part?

Both experts will first respond to a dilemma statement and then engage with 2 questions from the RoboHouse host, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

RoboCafé is a live gathering that we are streaming via the internet. So you can join us from behind your screen.

Interested in contributing to future editions of RoboCafé? Please get in touch with our community manager Casper.

Here’s a video capture of a previous edition: