10,000 architects, designers, engineers and digital artists have gathered this week in Las Vegas, USA, for Autodesk University (AU), the annual Autodesk, Inc. conference for over four days of learning, networking and knowledge sharing.
In the AU General Session, Autodesk President and CEO Andrew Anagnost will share his perspective on how automation, the convergence of design and make technologies, and the changing nature of work can unlock opportunities to do more, better, with less negative impact on the world.
He will be joined by several guests, including Autodesk CTO Scott Bourdin, Autodesk Director of Robotics Erin Bradner, and author of “Imagine It Forward” and former GE Vice Chair, Beth Comstock.
“With increasing population and urbanisation and the continued rise of the global middle class, the demand for more is inevitable. To meet the rising demand with the world’s finite resources, we must combine automation and human imagination to design and make in new ways,” said Anagnost.
Two additional industry keynotes for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) and manufacturing industries, along with TED-style sessions in the AU Theater, will bring together Autodesk and industry experts to take a deeper look at how the convergence of design and make, the blurring of industries, and new automation technologies are creating new opportunities.
Real-world examples of customers who have already taken advantage of these opportunities will be found in the AU Expo.
Examples include a robot-equipped shipping container that can be brought on-site to additively manufacture custom construction components on-demand; a materially efficient flooring system that makes construction with concrete more sustainable; and a Formula One car reimagined with generative design and visualised in virtual reality.
Over the course of the event, Autodesk will also share new product advances, partnerships and initiatives that will help its customers prepare for the future of making.
For the fourth consecutive year, AU Las Vegas will be carbon neutral. This year it is being achieved through a collaboration with ClimateCare and Burn Cookstoves, maker of the fuel-efficient Jikokoa cookstove.
To date, Autodesk has supported Burn Cookstoves to avoid 40,000 metric tons of CO2. Burn Cookstoves is part of the Acumen Fund, an Autodesk Foundation customer that supports sustainability solutions to address global poverty.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 AU Las Vegas Donation Drive. UNHCR is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives and building a better future for the 35 million refugees around the world fleeing conflict, persecution, and natural disasters.
Autodesk software is helping UNHCR’s refugee settlement site planners shelter migrants in more efficient and effective ways.
