Medtech takes a bite of Big Apple: Steve Wozniak to deliver keynote
Keynote conversation with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak along with spotlights on smart manufacturing and 3D printing make this medtech show a go-to event.
Medtech moves fast. For 34 years, MD&M East has helped take medical devices from concept to market by uniting cutting-edge technology with the industry’s brightest minds. This year’s event is shaping up to be the best yet, with a fantastic keynote speaker, hot industry trends featured throughout the show floor, a three-day, two-track in-depth medtech conference, plus additional two-day innovation summits.
The event takes place on 13-15 June, Jacob K Javits Convention Center, New York
Keynote Event: Conversation with Steve Wozniak
Visionaries with big ideas backed by the brains to make them realities are the lifeblood of the advanced design and manufacturing industry. That's why the organisers of MD&M East say they’re proud to feature Apple co-founder and icon of innovation Steve “Woz” Wozniak as the keynote speaker this year.
The session promises to be a lively and thought-provoking discussion, complete with an opportunity for audience Q&A. Wozniak will cover topics at the intersection of his passions and trends in the advanced manufacturing industry, including innovation and creativity, robotics and automation, wearables, big data, the Internet of Things and more.
More about Wozniak
A Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for more than 30 years, Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple's first line of products the Apple I and II. He also influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak's Apple I personal computer.
The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics, and a floppy disk drive. The Apple II was integral in launching the personal computer industry.
In 1981, he went back to UC Berkeley and finished his degree in electrical engineering/computer science. For his achievements at Apple, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honour bestowed on America's leading innovators.
In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.
Through the years, Wozniak has been involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools and stressing hands-on learning and encouraging creativity for students. Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, he adopted the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of technology equipment. He founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. In 2014, he was awarded the Hoover Medal, a prestigious honour given for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity," and was inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
Wozniak is chief scientist at Primary Data and is a published author with the release of his New York Times best-selling autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon by Norton Publishing. His television appearances include: ABC's Dancing with the Stars and The Big Bang Theory, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.