A former executive at Amazon Robotics has been tapped to fill a newly created role at a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that's working to make robotics, autonomy and artificial intelligence systems more accessible to U.S. manufacturers.
Larry Sweet, who previously served as the director of worldwide robotics deployment for the eCommerce giant's robotics division that oversees advanced automation solutions installed at its Fulfillment, Ground and Air and Last Mile networks, joins the ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute as the organization's first director of engineering.
Prior to working at Amazon Robotics, Sweet has also held other tech jobs at the Frito-Lay Division of PepsiCo Inc., General Electric Co., United Technologies and others. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Sweet taught classes on robotics and served as the associate director of the technology transition in the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines.
As part of this new post, Sweet will develop and manage ARM's engineering activities, which can include sourcing, securing and directing the organization's portfolio of engineering projects, among other responsibilities. He'll also aid in ARM's broader mission of helping to bring advanced technologies to manufacturers of all sizes across the country.
"We are delighted that Larry Sweet has joined the ARM Institute to direct and grow our robotics engineering capabilities," Chuck Brandt, ARM Institute chief technology officer, said in a prepared statement. "His expertise across a broad spectrum of robotics manufacturing applications and solutions will be invaluable to our consortium members, projects, and future opportunities."
Sweet holds a doctorate degree and a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
