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Robotics and The Pennsylvania Economy
Robotics and The Pennsylvania Economy
Economy
Vertical Integration
Smart people are widely dispersed but more closely connected than ever
before. Ideas bubble up in organizations of all kinds and sizes, not just in
large research labs.
In the 21st century we are seeing a dramatic rise in the
number and mobility of knowledge workers, which makes it
increasingly difficult for companies to control their
proprietary ideas and expertise.
Companies are rethinking the ways in which they generate ideas and bring them
to market, harnessing external ideas while leveraging their in-house R&D outside
their current operations.
"...Companies can no longer keep their own innovations
secret unto themselves.
... the key to success is creating, in effect, an open platform
around your innovations so your customers, your employees
and even your competitors can build upon it, because only
by that building will you create an ongoing, evolving
community of users, doers and creators."
Open Innovation, Henry Chesbrough
Open Innovation, combines internal and external ideas
as well as internal and external paths to market to
advance the development of new technologies, like
biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and robotics.
Robotics is a 100 billion dollar industry that consists of next-
generation, intelligent, some times mobile devices, vehicles,
and machines.
Even when robotics technologies were relatively primitive, their potential role in boosting
the productivity and competitiveness of the United States was foreseen by CMU.
The Robotics Institute at CMU was established in 1979 to conduct basic and applied
research in robotics technologies relevant to industrial and societal tasks.
In 1994, Red Whittaker and other CMU scientists agreed that mobile robotics
technology had matured sufficiently to enable commercial applications in markets
such as agriculture, construction, mining and electric/gas utilities.
The National Robotics Engineering Consortium (NREC) opened on July 29, 1996. At
NREC, theoretical concepts and laboratory technologies are converted into functional,
reliable and cost-effective robotics systems.
Today, NREC thrives as home to more than 100 of the world’s leading robotics experts
conducting applied research and development on more than two dozen innovative
projects, many of which have been licensed for commercialization and are being
deployed successfully in real-world applications.
The Robotics Corridor Project involves two dozen industry
partners who have joined with CMU and other Pittsburgh area
universities and community colleges to create an associate
degree program that will train technicians to build and maintain
robots and other automated systems.
CMU’s Collaborative Machining Center is a new type of student-oriented
machine shop, a place for translating ideas into reality and connecting students
to the global economy through collaborative projects with industry partners.
The center is tailored toward student participation. The work space is equipped
with manual and CNC machine tools, metrology tools, six-axis industrial robots
and rapid prototype machines.
Faculty, students and industry partners work together in the
Collaborative Machining Center on real problems.
Student teams work with engineer mentors, to solve
problems posed by joint projects. The goal of the center is to
foster in students the ability to solve systems engineering
problems independently.
Collaboration with industrial partners provides students with
real-world experience and practical skills. The relationships
formed in the process help retain students in the region after
graduation.
Industry Partnerships
in Pennsylvania
Its mission is to unify the diverse robotics efforts in southwestern Pennsylvania into
one system and speak with one voice.
Summary