A new event that looks to showcase robotics-based solutions for the aviation industry will be landing at Pittsburgh International Airport later this spring.
The Aviation & Robotics Summit — set to take place between April 18 and April 20 — is an endeavor being put on by the Robotics Factory, which itself is a new effort that stems from the region's $67 million Build Back Better challenge win from last fall, and PIT's xBridge innovation center and Future Travel Experience initiative.
Led by North Side-based startup investment firm Innovation Works Inc. and in partnership with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, the Robotics Factory is looking to incubate up to six startups working in its namesake industry by providing these budding enterprises with access to capital, equipment and expertise.
Part of those efforts are looking to start with this multi-day and invitation-only event, where aviation and robotics professionals will team up and network together to identify potential challenges in the air transportation industry and that could be solved with the use of robotics.
"The Aviation & Robotics Summit will synthesize both sides of the dynamic – but often misaligned – equation," Mike Formica, managing director of IW’s hardware initiatives including the Robotics Factory, said in a prepared statement. "By bringing together aviation industry experts with robotics technologists, they can identify concrete problems that can be solved through robotics applications and/or adjacent technologies. We’ll help the robotics participants understand the needs and problems of the aviation industry while helping the aviation industry understand the capabilities of the technologies that can transform their operations to be more efficient and effective."
It's also the first of many future events being put on by the Robotics Factory's "Create" series over the coming months, which is one of the three areas of focus the Robotics Factory is looking to accomplish in addition to its "Accelerate" and "Scale" objectives for local startups.
"We are excited to co-host the Aviation and Robotics Summit, which will showcase the innovative work being done by the [Allegheny County] Airport Authority [ACAA] and our xBridge program, as well as our partners at Innovation Works and Pittsburgh Robotics Network, for a global audience," Matt Neistein, public affairs manager for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which manages PIT, said in an email statement.
During its February board meeting, the ACAA approved $150,000 in funding for the planning, recruitment and support of the summit.
