As one of the top robotics clusters in the U.S., and indeed the world, Pittsburgh is attracting talent and startups. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network this week announced that Plus One Robotics Inc. is joining its community of more than 100 companies.
“We are thrilled to welcome Plus One and its industry-leading AI and robotics solutions to Pittsburgh,” stated Joel Reed, executive director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN). “Our region is uniquely positioned with innovative research, development, and engineering that is furthering Pittsburgh’s reputation as a recognized world-leading hub for robotics and AI.”
“Pittsburgh also has a deep roster of logistics and material handling companies,” he added. “It is no surprise that they made the decision to expand their operations here, and their presence is emblematic of the growth of robotics in our region.”
The PRN represents the Pittsburgh robotics ecosystem, which is anchored by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and includes leaders in autonomous vehicle development. The network said it helps robotics businesses and leaders make connections, expands collective knowledge, and works to advance robotics and artificial intelligence technologies.
Plus One Robotics comes to PID
San Antonio, Texas-based Plus One Robotics uses AI and 3D vision to provide autonomy for picking robots in warehouses and distribution centers. The company will establish facilities in Oakland, Pa.’s Pittsburgh Innovation District (PID), which includes research-and-development institutions CMU and the University of Pittsburgh.
Plus One said it sees Pittsburgh as the perfect area to facilitate continuous growth, partner with universities, and connect to world-class talent.
“Being close to other start-ups in the district and to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh was very important for us so we can situate ourselves in that high-energy, relevant, forward-looking, and optimistic environment,'' said Bener Suay, senior R&D developer at Plus One.
“Plus One Robotics is future-focused, industry-leading, and we are deeply knowledgeable in our field,” Suay said. “We feel that these pillars are very much aligned with our neighbors in Oakland and other robotics companies across the Pittsburgh robotics ecosystem.”
'Roboburgh' continues to attract talent
The Pittsburgh Robotics Network announces the addition of Plus One Robotics, an internationally recognized robotics company, to its network of over 100 companies and leaders in the community. As the company grows its footprint, Pittsburgh’s expanding robotics ecosystem offers robust opportunities for market growth, recruitment, and partnerships with educational institutions.
In 1988, CMU founded the world’s first robotics Ph.D. program. It claimed that its Robotics Institute is “the world’s largest robotics R&D organization.”
The Robotics Institute also includes the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), which has been transforming robotics research into practical industry solutions for over 25 years.
Since 2017, more than $4.3 billion in venture capital and private equity has been invested in the region’s robotics firms, which directly employ over 7,000 people in the region.
Pittsburgh also offers a robust talent pool with 12,000 technology degrees and certificates awarded annually. Sometimes referred to as “Roboburgh,” it ranks as one of the top five cities in the U.S. for college students.
Pittsburgh the cradle for self-driving cars
Pittsburgh has also been dubbed “the birthplace of self-driving cars,” which date back to CMU’s research in the 1980s, according to the PRN. The city serves as a development and testing ground for leading autonomous vehicle developers such as Argo AI, Aurora, Locomation, Motional, and Waymo.
Last week at the PRN’s “State of Our Autonomous Vehicle Industry” event, the organization released its “Pittsburgh Robotics Cluster Profile,” which focused on the region’s unique position for fostering growth and opportunity in global robotics and autonomy industries.
“Regions who are able to build out their technology ecosystems to support this type of integration will be poised to realize major economic growth,” said Reed. “In the process of creating this Robotics Cluster Profile, we've identified over 100 robotics companies and over 40 supporting organizations, making the Pittsburgh region one of the largest and most robust robotics ecosystems in the world. We're now poised for even more growth.”
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