ACM TechNews
This Is Robot Country
Christian Science Monitor (07/17/08) P. 13; Peter, Tom A.
Pittsburgh is emerging as the robotic answer to Silicon Valley, with
next-generation robot technology being developed there thanks to the
convergence of Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) robotics program and
remnants from the metropolis' industrial heyday. Pittsburgh's first foray
into robotics took place in 1927 with Westinghouse Electric's development
of a machine that could pick up a phone and adjust the water level of a
dam. "It's really just been in the last few years that we've seen real
product-driven, market-focused [robots] emerge," says William Thomasmeyer
of the National Center for Defense Robotics. More than 30 robotic
companies are currently based in Pittsburgh, and Thomasmeyer says robotics
could become a leading industry for the city in the next five to 10 years
with the continuance of present trends. Old mills and plants left vacant
by the decline of Pittsburgh's steel industry are perfect places for
robotics companies to take up residence, as their unoccupied open spaces
can be used to test inventions. The growth of the robotics industry could
also help restore the market value of neighborhoods eroded by urban blight.
"The dream is that you're giving people a relationship to technology
that's long term, changing their viewpoint as a consumer, and thinking of
themselves as somebody who can be an inventor or producer," says CMU
professor Illah Nourbakhsh.
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/07/16/
pittsburgh-is-robot-country/
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