Robots are perhaps one of the most common ideas people think about when they envision the future. And one Northside company is seeking to bring the future to the present, thanks in part to a $63.7 million federal grant.
The Robotics Factory, a new program that launched in January, seeks to support the development of robotics-based startup companies. The program was primarily created by Innovation Works, a Northside company that provides consulting services to startup businesses, with support from the Pittsburgh Robotics Network and other regional partners.
The Robotics Factory is part of a series of interrelated programs formed after the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative received $63.7 million from a grant awarded by the United States Economic Development Administration called the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Innovation Works received $12 million of the grant money from the collaborative to create The Robotics Factory program, as well as providing match funds and seeking seed funding.
According to Terri Glueck, vice president of communications and community development for Innovation Works, The Robotics Factory is based around three core components: create, accelerate and scale.
The “create” part refers to the Factory seeking opportunities for robotics integration. The program seeks to identify industries which could benefit from robotics technology.
“It’s not technology in search of a market,” Glueck told The Chronicle. “It’s that industry identifies what the problems are that robotics can solve and then building robotics companies to address those problems.”
As an example of this process, The Robotics Factory — in conjunction with partners such as Pittsburgh International Airport and Pittsburgh Robotics Network — will be holding an invite-only summit on April 18-20 focused on the aviation industry.
Aviation is not the only industry The Robotics Factory seeks to target for possible robotics integration. Dejana Raggi, program coordinator for The Robotics Factory, said construction and agriculture are two other industries the program plans to look at for business opportunities.
While Glueck said robotics has seen its “ups and downs,” some areas of integration have seen major growth and success, such as the utilization of robots in warehouses.
One opportunity areas have been identified, The Robotics Factory will select six startups to receive $100,000 in funding, as well as mentorship and resources to grow their company. This is the “accelerate” part of the process.
The companies will move into The Robotics Factory’s co-working space, where they will have access to a “production- grade prototype shop,” according to a press release about the program’s launch from Pittsburgh Robotics Network.
The startups will also receive mentorship from other Pittsburgh-based robotics companies and national and global partners through Pittsburgh Robotics Network.
Glueck said The Robotics Factory’s production facility is something that “currently doesn’t exist anywhere in the region” outside of university campuses. The use of the production facility is where the “scale” core component stems from. She said it is hoped the facility will be a resource for the robotics industry in the Pittsburgh area.
The Robotics Factory completed the application process for its first wave of startup companies at the end of March, and the program anticipates taking on up to six companies to work with. However, the grant term is for four years, and the program anticipates taking on additional startup companies every year of the term.
Raggi said the program received “a good size of applications,” and the organizers are looking forward to receiving more in future waves.
Glueck said the program could serve to attract more companies and create more jobs in the Pittsburgh region.
“Robotics companies, in particular, need a lot of job support,” she said. “So this is not just guys in white lab coats. This is everything from servicing robots, customer support, software that runs the robotics technology and distribution. There are a lot of white collar, blue collar and everything in between types of jobs associated with these companies.”
The first cohort will work their way through the program from mid-June through December, with the second cohort to start up around the same time next year.
For more information on The Robotics Factory, including how to apply for the program, visit roboticsfactory.org. Innovation Works also provides support to other kinds of startup companies, and information about its other programs can be found at innovationworks.org.
