Steve Cousins

Willow Garage CEO Steve Cousins speaks with the press, including journalists Rachel Kremen of MIT's Technology Review, left, and Erico Guizzo, right, who attended Wednesday's event remotely via mobile robots. Running via wireless network, the robots are able to see, hear, speak, and interact with attendees at the event.

The company's grand goal is to foster the development of all-purpose robots that can function in everyday settings. After receiving 78 proposals for robotics development projects, Cousins says, Willow Garage awarded 11 institutions leases on the PR2 robots, which use the company's open-source Robot Operating System.