Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day, described by organizers as a “human-centered event,” is scheduled for this Thursday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, showcasing nearly 130-thousand square feet of robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence demonstrations.
Coming off of its inaugural event in 2022, this year’s “Discovery Day” will feature over 130 exhibits. For example, a Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle company, Aurora, will showcase an autonomous freight truck. Agility Robotics will feature their humanoid robot, called “Digit” which is designed to automate warehouse stocking tasks.
The event, which is put on by Pittsburgh Robotics Network, emphasizes career pathways and the role of robotics and artificial intelligence in the workplace.
“We are now seeing regular jobs, regular industries as they start to adopt automation and purchase it and implement it into their businesses,” explained Jennifer Apicella, the executive director of Pittsburgh Robotics Network. “Basically, these are the power tools of modern business.”
Matthew Johnson-Roberson is the director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He says Pittsburgh is an influential region in the robotics industry, thanks in part to the city’s steel and manufacturing roots. He says this created a strong foundation to “build and make things.”
“We're very lucky to have sort of a large swath of the self-driving car industry based here in Pittsburgh,” Johnson-Roberson said, pointing out that Pittsburgh is far cheaper than Silicon Valley. “It's a lot more space, but also there's a pretty rich manufacturing base and I think also a really rich workforce.”
Robotics Discovery Day will feature four exhibit “zones,” each focused on a different aspect of robotic technology: “Robotics,” “Career Pathways,” “Manufacturing” and “Community” zones. The day also includes presentations such as “Humans Behind the Robots” — a staged presentation about the role of robots in the workplace.
“You have to be very proactive when you think about disrupting an industry. As robotics and just AI technology in general is more applicable in a lot more industries, I think we just need to be really deliberate when we think about what that means,” explained Johnson-Roberson. “You really need to think about the human component of it.”
The event is free and open to the public. More than 4,000 visitors are expected to attend.
