Dr. Cori Lathan is a technology entrepreneur who has developed robots for kids with disabilities, virtual reality technology for the space station, and wearable sensors for training surgeons and soldiers. She is a global thought-leader in the relationship between technology and human performance and believes in a future of benevolent cyborgs. Cori’s new book, Inventing the Future: Stories from a Techno-Optimist, explores the possibilities of making the world a better place through the 20 year journey of her career focused on technology and human performance.

Founder and former CEO of AnthroTronix (est. 1999), Cori has led projects from agencies such as DARPA, NASA, NIH, and NSF and recently developed one of the first FDA-cleared digital health platforms winning a prestigious Gold Edison Award. For this work, she was named a Woman to Watch by Disruptive Women in Health Care. She also joined the WomenAgainstAlzheimer's Women's Leadership Council to address the most dangerous threat facing women today. Dr. Lathan has also been featured in Forbes, Time, and the New Yorker, and her work has led to such distinctions as MIT Technology Review Magazine’s “Top 100 World Innovators,” and one of Fast Company's “Most Creative People in Business.”

Dr. Lathan was named a Technology Pioneer and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She has also chaired the Forum’s Global Future Council on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, served as founding co-Chair of the Human Enhancement Council, and is a member of their steering committee to select the annual list of Top 10 Emerging Technologies. She is part of the IF/THEN® Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies® to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift in how the world perceives women in STEM. She is one of 125 female STEM innovators selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Lyda Hill Philanthropies® to be AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors, all serving as high-profile role models for girls.

Dr. Lathan is a social advocate and actively involved in STEM educational outreach programs that empower women and minorities in science and technology. She founded Keys to Empowering Youth (est. 1992) for junior high school girls, coached for the FIRST and VEX robotics program, and advised the Smithsonian Institute’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Dr. Lathan is on the Boards of the KID Museum Makerspace and Engineering World Health, which provides opportunities to college students to support the emergence of healthcare technology in the developing world.

 

Topics:

  • Inventors are makers, artists, musicians, and creators, and every one of us has that creative ability within. Like a play or concert, an invention is a fundamentally collaborative effort and a journey of shared experiences. Are you curious about technology and want to make the world a better place? Explore the possibilities of tomorrow through the twenty-year journey of Dr. Cori Lathan and embark on your own adventure to invent the future. In this talk, Cori shares her philosophy that technology should help make us stronger and healthier, technology should bridge the gap between what we can do and what we could do, and technology should create an equitable future. Learn why and how in this inspiring talk.

  • How do we preserve and elevate the vitality of the mind? We have epidemics affecting our brain health at all ages, from concussions to sleep deprivation and from depression to Alzheimer's disease. The relationship between human performance and our brain health is inextricably linked. Enhancing our mental powers using medications or implants is in the future of brain health and the ability to connect our brains is coming. As the inventor of the "Brain Thermometer," Dr. Lathan explains how we've been ignoring the brain, but emerging technologies show that the decade of the brain is ahead of us.

  • We've all heard about technology trends such as the Internet of Things, robotics and artificial intelligence, and Virtual Reality. These technologies will impact us profoundly as individuals and as communities, and will connect us by providing the ability to have shared experiences. As we augment human performance, will this result in a Borg collective or in shared and collaborative experiences that bring a collective empathy to society? Dr. Lathan explores the impact of these technologies on us as humans and how we can shape the human-technology interaction to have a positive impact.

  • We are all makers, innovators, and potential entrepreneurs. What is the process of taking an idea or vision and bringing it to fruition? Especially if you are breaking new ground! Using cutting edge science and technology from the fields of brain science, robotics, and artificial intelligence, Dr. Lathan has brought multiple products to market. In this talk, she discusses the process of starting a company and bringing ideas to life. With her expert insights, she explains the role of technology in designing solutions for problems that matter.

Twitter: @clathan

Instagram: @drcoril