Technologist, entrepreneur and educator Rodney Brooks returns to CMU on Oct. 12 discuss "Baxter," the new, human-centric industrial robot recently introduced by his company.

His lecture, hosted by Matt Mason, director of the Robotics Institute, begins at 3:30 p.m. in the McConomy Auditorium of the University Center.

Brooks is chairman and chief technology officer of Boston, Mass.-based Rethink Robotics, Inc., which unveiled "Baxter" in mid-September.

Baxter—a two-armed, somewhat humanoid robot, complete with expressive "eyes" and "eyebrows"—is aimed at transforming industrial robots from specialized equipment that must be installed and maintained by experts, into electronic helpers that can be up and running within an hour on a factory floor without time-consuming and expensive training for operators.

In addition to its ease of use, Baxter, the first product from Rethink Robotics, is being promoted for its adaptability, flexibility and low cost. Brooks' talk will discuss how these metrics defined and drove the design and manufacturing process.