A Medical Device Daily

Paro Robots U.S. (Fort Myers, Florida) said that company president/CEO Walter Weisel passed away on May 19.

Weisel was a pioneer in the field of robotics, with a career that spanned more than 30 years of driving improvements in the technology and mindshare of the dymanic industry.

He served in a variety of executive, financial, managerial, engineering, service, sales and marketing roles throughout his career that were instrumental to the growth of the robotics field and the advancement of the many industries that robotic applications benefit, including healthcare, space exploration, military, and manufacturing.

Weisel spent the first 10 years of his career with Cincinnati Milacron, working in engineering, sales and management roles with machine controls and computers.

He then went to work for his mentor, Joseph Engelberger – known in the industry as the "Father of Robotics" – at Unimation, the first major industrial robotics manufacturer in the U.S. Weisel managed key sales accounts with blue-chip customers such as Ford and Chrysler, and he was instrumental in the design and buildout of the company's groundbreaking Puma robot.

Weisel was the recipient of the prestigious Joseph F. Engelberger Award, which recognizes the most significant contribution to the advancement of robotics and automation in the service of humankind. Nominations are received from 26 nations worldwide.