With two Tier 1 research institutions, CMU and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), Pittsburgh is uniquely suited to provide the skilled and talented workers necessary for companies looking to launch, scale and grow in a place that provides a soft landing.
Making Pittsburgh a Leading Hub for Robotics and AI
Q&A with Matt Smith, Chief Growth Officer, | Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Tell us about yourself and your role with CMU and in the robotics community.
I’m the Chief Growth Officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, an organization that specializes in bringing together public and private sector leaders to support the economic future and quality of life offerings to the Pittsburgh region. I oversee the Conference’s business investment arm which focuses on two primary objectives: attracting new businesses to the region and supporting the growth of existing ones. These efforts often leverage regional assets to move the needle, including the robotics community, and some of the outstanding institutions in the region, including Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
When attracting businesses, we assess the growth potential of industries and evaluate the resources, including talent, to support the success of businesses who choose the region. We specifically targeted robotics and AI companies due to Pittsburgh’s globally regarded assets and leadership in these sectors. With two Tier 1 research institutions, CMU and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), as next-door neighbors in the Oakland neighborhood, our main innovation district, Pittsburgh is uniquely suited to provide the skilled and talented workers necessary for companies looking to launch, scale and grow in a place that provides a soft landing.
CMU was at the forefront of AI dating back to the 1950s when former staff members invented the field. In 1979, the university developed the Robotics Institute, bringing together the top scientific minds with a goal in solving humanity’s toughest challenges through robotics. The 183,000-square-foot facility is home to more than 100 projects, making it the largest university affiliated robotics research group in the world.
Having been born and raised in this area, I have a deep understanding of the potential Pittsburgh and its neighboring counties hold. The rapid growth of our robotics and AI sector stands as a testament to this. The region is home to hundreds of autonomy-focused enterprises: Aurora, Carnegie Robotics, Seegrid, Smith+Nephew and more. Together, they employ more than 7,000 individuals.
To further position our region to achieve its fullest potential, we actively engage at the state, federal and local levels, leveraging the Conference’s policy and advocacy arm, which I also oversee, to create the best possible environment for businesses to grow and thrive. This includes identifying and lobbying for regulatory and policy improvements.
How have CMU and other institutions played a role in making Pittsburgh a leading hub for robotics and AI?
Many companies in the region spun out of institutions like CMUE and Pitt. One strong example is Duolingo, the first Pittsburgh-based tech startup to be valued at more than $1 billion. But there are many other homegrown successes such as Bloomfield Robotics (AI-driven technology which analyzes plant images for detailed health and performance insights) and Titan Robotics (delivers the latest sensor technologies to complex surfaces for data collection).
Just in the past month, a team from CMU and Pitt began participating in a three-year challenge to develop a robot for medical triage, and another team of CMU researchers developed a system designed to boost corn crop health.
Looking ahead, CMU is currently constructing a Robotics Innovation Center (RIC), a 150,000 square feet cutting-edge facility for research, development and testing of robotics technologies.
Additionally, Pitt is a premier partner of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network—an association which boasts hundreds of member organizations all working under the banner of the robotics industry.
But innovation doesn't stop at our higher education institutions; it’s everywhere here in Pittsburgh, even at our airport. The Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is home to xBridge, an incubator program that develops new technologies in-house, as well as partnerships with early-stage companies, to meet current needs and support the new terminal slated to open in 2025. The technology that is being created there, including a device that can detect threats of bioterrorism in the air and utilizing live algae for in-terminal air creation, can boost revenues, operations, security, customer experience, and sustainability.
How are companies like Gecko Robotics, Mach9, and Aquatonomy using robots to take over hazardous jobs, and what impact does this have on safety and efficiency?
They’re all doing incredible work in taking over some truly dangerous jobs and helping to keep people safe. Gecko Robotics, for instance, has developed wall- climbing robots capable of inspecting wall thickness and degradation and performing non-destructive testing inspections on tanks, boilers, pressure vessels and more. The ability of these robots to capture data quickly and provide accurate renders can keep human workers from having to climb to perilous heights. Instead, the robots do the climbing and humans stay safely on the ground. Gecko’s robots have been utilized for the massive terminal modernization project underway at PIT.
Mach9 has created technology that helps with geospatial planning, with software that simplifies and interprets 3D data sets into engineering drawings faster than was ever previously thought possible. In turn, they provide critical data that engineers need to build and maintain infrastructure. It’s an interesting company to look at, because they started by developing software for autonomous vehicles but realized that the work they were doing had applications that could reach far beyond just that one use case.
Meanwhile, Aquatonomy is working on building autonomous robotics technology that can assist operations underwater, such as infrastructure inspections for oceanographic research. Ordinarily, deep sea work can be incredibly dangerous for divers, but Aquatonomy’s innovation takes those workers out of that situation entirely. We’re excited to recognize Aquatonomy as one of the first cohort of companies at the region’s new Robotics Factory, a specialized accelerator made possible by a nearly $63 million Build Back Better grant from the U.S. EDA. The grant is focused on growing the region’s robotics ecosystem.
What factors make Pittsburgh attractive for robotics companies, and how does the local infrastructure and workforce support them?
The top tier talent and our robust startup sector have created a gravitational pull for others looking for a dynamic and accessible ecosystem that they can call home.
That pull has played a large part in forming Robotics Row, a concentrated area in Pittsburgh where more than 20 tech and robotics companies have set up shop. It’s the heart of the region’s broader robotics ecosystem.
Legacy manufacturing facilities have been redeveloped into sustainable innovation campuses, including Hazelwood Green – the site of a historic former steel mill – that is transforming into a global center for advanced manufacturing, robotics research and innovation and biomanufacturing.
Pittsburgh’s preeminent Innovation District, located in the Oakland neighborhood of the city, encompasses a thriving cluster of life science and healthcare entities, seamlessly integrating business, research, and technology. And Neighborhood 91, near the airport, is a global manufacturing hub for AM/3D printing innovation. It’s the first of its kind with all that technology in one convenient location.
How do Pittsburgh's companies and institutions collaborate to create an incubator and living laboratory for robotics and AI startups/innovations?
Incubators are everywhere in Pittsburgh – The Robotics Factory and AlphaLab (which supports companies in hardware, software and healthcare/life science) are both led by Innovation Works, the Pittsburgh region’s most active investor in and supporter of early-stage companies developing hardware, software and life sciences technologies.
The Robotics Factory in particular serves as a dynamic hub for emerging technology companies, providing not only collaborative spaces, but also critical manufacturing capabilities necessary for effective scaling. It’s located at Tech Forge, a property of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation, nestled within the Lawrenceville Technology Center, a transformed 14-acre industrial steel site.
CMU offers Project Olympus which provides resources for CMU faculty, students, alumni, and staff who want to turn their research and ideas into startups. LifeX drives the development and growth of life sciences startups in Pittsburgh and across the country.
How do you envision Pittsburgh evolving as a global leader in robotics and AI over the next decade, and what key initiatives or projects do you believe will drive this transformation?
Our vision is to make Pittsburgh synonymous with robotics and AI on a global scale. To achieve this, we will remain forward-thinking and committed to constant innovation, driving solutions that will address some of today’s biggest challenges and leave the world a better place.
On the near horizon, we are excited about groundbreaking advancements, such as Astrobotic’s technologies for harnessing solar energy to power lunar grids, Stack AV’s and Aurora’s pioneering work to create autonomous trucks and Cell X Technologies’ development of precision robotic technologies for stem cell research and cell manufacturing. We’re excited to see the continued success of robotics and AI companies born from our more than 20 academic and private research centers.
Current and upcoming legislation will also help push us further. Federal investments, like the CHIPS and Science Act and others geared towards tech innovation, will provide fresh investments that allow for a larger global reach. We’ll continue to aim to secure a significant share of this expanding market and make Pittsburgh a continuously more attractive option for companies of all kinds.
From my perspective, being a leader is all about staying ahead of the curve and constantly innovating – and that’s what our region is doing. By following a road map that focuses on the future and what’s ahead, we’ll continue to be seen as a global leader in robotics and AI and expand our presence. A key part of establishing ourselves on the global stage will be through understanding the capability of robotics and AI as general platforms, rather than singular products, and embracing companies that take that approach. Having this perspective shift opens all types of avenues for growth.
We’ll also need to continue fostering a supportive ecosystem that can make it easy for robotics and AI companies to move to the region, invest in themselves and their people, and grow. We’ve done a great job of creating that system already, but to keep growing and having greater influence around the world, we can’t take our foot off of the gas pedal.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of RoboticsTomorrow
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