Speaker Profile Thumbnail for Marita Cheng

Founder of Robogals, Aipoly, and Aubot

Marita Cheng Speaking Fee: $10,000 to $20,000

Founder of Robogals, Aipoly, and Aubot

Speaker Profile Thumbnail for Marita Cheng
Speaking Fee:
$10,000 to $20,000

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Primary Topic Category:
Technology

Secondary Topic Category:
Business & Entrepreneurship

 

Marita Cheng Speaker Profile: At A Glance

At age 19, Marita founded Robogals to get girls interested in engineering through visiting schools and teaching robotics. At 22, leading a team of 4000 people across 13 countries, Marita was named Young Australian of the Year. Marita cofounded Aipoly, using convolutional neural networks to recognize everyday objects for the blind, which won the CES Best of Innovation Award two years in a row. Marita founded Aubot, designing, manufacturing and shipping robots throughout Australia, and was named a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to science and technology, particularly to robotics, in 2019.

Marita Cheng is an inspiring technology entrepreneur and advocate for diversity in engineering. Born and raised in Cairns, Australia, Cheng's journey into the world of technology began with a childhood curiosity about how things work. She pursued this interest academically, earning a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics and a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Melbourne. During her studies, she was driven by the desire to create an impact and address the gender imbalance she noticed in her field. In 2008, while still a student, Cheng founded Robogals. This global initiative aims to encourage young girls to pursue engineering and technology by engaging them in workshops that make robotics fun and accessible. Robogals has reached thousands of students across multiple countries, nurturing a new generation of female engineers and setting a precedent for grassroots movements in STEM education. Cheng's passion for innovation did not stop there. In 2016, she co-founded Aipoly, an app designed to help the visually impaired navigate the world through real-time image recognition powered by artificial intelligence. This project won awards and global recognition, solidifying Cheng's reputation as a forward-thinking entrepreneur who leverages technology for social good. Her work continued with the establishment of Aubot, a company focused on creating telepresence robots. Aubot's flagship product, Teleport, enables remote communication and interaction, allowing users to 'be' in another location through a robot. This invention has significant implications for sectors such as healthcare and education, where distance and mobility can hinder effective service delivery. Throughout her career, Cheng has been recognized with numerous accolades, including being named Young Australian of the Year in 2012. She continues to be an influential voice in tech, championing innovation, education, and diversity. Her story is a testament to how curiosity, when combined with ambition and a willingness to break barriers, can lead to transformative change in society.
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