LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - February 16, 2015) - Today Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) will kick off its Art of Disruption event showcasing an array of products serving the future of Mobility, Cloud, Content Management and Security along with products from the Business Innovation Center. The event will take place from February 15th - 18th at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles and deliver a comprehensive look at the offerings for the enterprise, healthcare, education, hospitality and legal industries. Over two days of launches, trend forecasting, cutting-edge discussions and industry-leading speakers ranging on topics from 3D printing, graphic communications, cloud and other disruptive technologies will take place with an expected attendance of over 1,000 people. Entrepreneur Robert Herjavec from ABC's Emmy-winning Shark Tank and world renowned golf champion and star of the Golf Channel's Feherty, David Feherty will offer an exclusive keynote address to all attendees. Featuring over 70 stations, the exhibition floor is the largest showcase of products, solutions and services that Konica Minolta has ever held to date.

"This is an unprecedented event for Konica Minolta and we are thrilled to bring together an impressive group of industry leaders who have helped fuel the growth of our industry," says Kevin P. Kern, senior vice president, Marketing. "Our Business Innovation Centers are rapidly growing worldwide to meet the demands of the marketplace and every conceivable need in workplace automation and security resulting in profound changes in the world and in our daily lives."

Some of the top "Disruptors" in this showcase will feature the following:

• Newly announced partnership with Robin Powered

Our Business Innovation Center is thrilled to announce a new strategic partnership with Robin Powered, a business dedicated to making workplace coordination as efficient as possible.

Robin spun out of digital agency One Mighty Roar, and is focused on sensor-based technologies and workplace automation. The company's aim is to build a smart office, and among its software's many features are shared calendars and responsive conference rooms that sense an employee's arrival and push that information to fellow employees (a team member who may have forgotten a meeting, for example). The company has products in development that range from the silly and fun, like an employee's favorite song playing when they walk into a room, to the practical, like specific-to-a-person phone chargers popping out of desks when they arrive in an office.

Robin is already working with 150 organizations and opened up its application programming interface (better known as an API), for other companies to develop new and interesting uses with its smart office technology. Konica Minolta is one of the leading producers of office-focused products that include multifunction devices and information management. By joining forces with Robin, Konica Minolta is betting on an interest in more connected offices.

In a statement, Ekta Sahasi, the vice president of Konica Minolta's Business Innovation Center in California, said of the partnership, "We are excited to be partnering closely with Robin Powered and are really impressed with how they are leveraging presence sensing technology to define the workplace of the future."

Please click on the link to view the video: https://robinpowered.com/

• STEAMtrax is an innovative new curriculum that integrates engineering and 3D printing technology with core academic knowledge in science, math, language arts, social studies and art. In the true spirit of the Framework for 21st Century Learning skills, students are engaged in relevant learning scenarios that encourage the essential skills of problem solving, collaboration communication, clear and critical thinking as well as developing core academic knowledge. Each lesson imbeds 3D design, printing and scanning technology as an integral part of the STEAMtrax Engineering Process. 

The curriculum modules are designed to be integrated into current science programs or provide enrichment to after school or summer programs. The modules are flexible and easily align to NGSS or state standards. Each of the modules has a hands-on kit that accompanies the lesson, so the students can build their engineering designs/prototypes before testing on the 3D printer. The kits include reusable materials for up to 32 students. Each module also uses the 3D printer, scanner, and CAD/CAM design which is taught to the teacher via the teacher version of the lesson. The student has a version as well to gather information and capture key learning objectives. The interactive student-teacher portal offers students fun digital activities to complete while enabling teachers to assess their learning progress.

STEAMtrax engineering curriculum is available for Grades 3-8 with high school and K-2 coming in 2015. The elementary school modules are about 15-20 teaching hours, with middle school being longer at 25+ a module due to the enhanced math/science needed.

STEAMtrax offers educators a blend of online and on-site professional development and instructional coaching to ensure smooth implementation of the curriculum and 3D printing in the classroom. Online set-up videos and printable instructions provide 24/7 learning opportunities and support for educators as they prepare for classroom implementation of the curriculum and 3D printing. 

• Knightscope: Knightscope utilizes technology to make communities safer and stronger. Their robots can see, hear, feel and smell and watch over corporate campuses and neighborhoods.

Knightscope's robots are fully autonomous, used to predict crimes in schools, businesses, and neighborhoods. Development was inspired by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and to prevent future crimes. The K5 detects crime using a variety of sensors including video camera, thermal imaging sensors, a laser range finder, radar, air quality sensors and a microphone. If the K5 detects abnormal noise and temperature change, or known criminals, it will alert local authorities.

About Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is one of the world's leaders in information management focused on enterprise content, technology optimization and cloud services. Our portfolio of offerings deliver solutions to improve our customers' speed to market, manage technology costs, and facilitate the sharing of information to increase productivity. The All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, project and cloud computing solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has won numerous awards and recognition, including placement in the Leaders Quadrant of the 2014 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) and Managed Content Services (MCS). Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for eight consecutive years. Konica Minolta, Inc. has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for three years in a row. For more information, please visit: www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.