As part of its mission to sell Pittsburgh as the robotics capital of the world, the Pittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN) will host a free "Discovery Day" event later this fall to showcase the region's budding robotics ecosystem.
To be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown, the Nov. 16 event will be open to the public as a first-of-its-kind offering from the PRN, a local nonprofit robotics advocacy organization.
On display at the event will be self-driving vehicles from Argo AI LLC, Aurora Innovation Inc. and Locomation Inc. Mobile robots from Aethon, HEBI Robotics, IAM Robotics, Thoro.AI, Sarcos Robotics and Technology Corp. (which acquired Pittsburgh-based RE2 Inc. earlier this year for $100 million) and Neya Systems will also be shown. EKTO VR, Humotech and Shift Robotics — one of Pittsburgh Inno's Startups to Watch in 2022 — will showcase their wearable tech that uses robots to work. Additionally, aerial drone companies like Aeras, Near Earth Autonomy, Eye-bot Aerial Solutions and Gather AI will demonstrate their flying robots.
The event will be divided into three areas: Robots, Education & Training, and Community. This will allow attendees to experience the depth of local robotics offerings from more than 100 Pittsburgh companies in the region while also offering insights into the types of jobs that are available at these firms, many of which do not require a four-year degree from a college or university. Additionally, PRN will allow STEM programs, entrepreneur bootcamps and pertinent development initiatives to be presented during the event for attendees to learn about.
"We want the entire region to be excited about what robotics brings to the area," Joel Reed, PRN executive director, said in an email statement to Pittsburgh Inno. "We created Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day to provide an important opportunity for the public to engage with the robotics community in a more meaningful way. Attendees will be able to meet the people making these robots a reality, understand more about how they can be used, and learn about the pathways available to a career in robotics right here in Western Pennsylvania."
The main event will run from 10 a.m. the 5 p.m. and a ticketed "Robo Happy Hour" from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. will follow to offer additional networking opportunities for businesses and tech professionals.
