Women in Robotics

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Women in Robotics (WiR) is a non-profit organization and a global community headquartered in Oakland California^[1][2] working towards promoting the visibility of women and Non-binary gender|non-binary people working in robotics and enabling women or non-binary people who aspire to join the field^[3]. WiR has over 1270 members in the online community and 6 active chapters^[4] from all across the globe. WiR activities include outreach, organizing celebrations, speaker events and panel discussions, focusing on peer networking and mentoring for its members^[1].

History[edit]

Women in Robotics was founded by Andra Keay originally under the umbrella of Silicon Valley Robotics^[2]. Women in Robotics has been informally running since 2011^[1], supported by Silicon Valley Robotics and Robohub^[5], organizing networking opportunities and providing a platform to demonstrate robotics projects for its members^[6][7]. WiR has 473 members^[8] in the San Francisco Bay Area alone. The organization shares inspirational accounts of exceptional women in robotics with their annual "30 women in robotics you need to know about" list since 2013^[9] featuring more than 200 women till date^[10][11][12].

According to Secretary of State of California Business Search Tool, the organization got approved its 501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3) non-profit status in March 2020 headquartered in Oakland California. Today WiR has over 2000 members^[10] in the local plus online community having women from all over the world and 6 active chapters in San Francisco Bay Area, Denver, Boston, Bristol, Brisbane and Melbourne^[4]. In 2021, WiR formally initiated three key projects namely Project Inspire, Project Connect and Project Advance (See Key Initiatives).

Mission[edit]

Women in Robotics is dedicated to supporting and advocating the women within the robotics community. The organization aims to ensure equal opportunity for women in robotics and advance diversity and equity in robotics^[1].

Though the total number of women in robotics is less, its the lack of visibility and role models^[13] being the key reason affecting that number. Additionally, WiR's Founder and President Andra Keay stated that “And the robotics industry has an increasing skills shortage, so we can’t afford to lose talented women. I can’t control pay scales or promotions at other companies, but I can create a supportive environment here.” ^[1]

Key Initiatives[edit]

The organization is focusing on three projects provisioning to all members whether amateurs or experts of the field^[2].

• Project Inspire — aiming to celebrate the achievements and showcase positive role models with the annual 30 women in robotics you need to know about list, plus other updates and spotlights with regular newsletter^[14].
• Project Connect — forming new local chapters, establishing and fostering the community, and enjoying member led activities and events, under a Code of Conduct.
• Project Advance — exploring ways to mentor, provide educational resources for women in robotics, and improve accountability metrics in workplaces.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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