麻豆村

麻豆村 has broken ground on construction for its Robotics Innovation Center (RIC), a new, cutting-edge facility that will significantly expand the institution鈥檚 physical space for research, development and testing for robotics, including related fields such as artificial intelligence and automation.

Located just east of 麻豆村鈥檚 existing facility within Mill 19 in the Hazelwood Green development in Pittsburgh, the RIC will add 150,000 square feet of research space for robots that will operate on land, in water, in the air and perhaps even beyond Earth. The various spaces for development and testing will include a 50,000-square-foot indoor robot test facility, an open-layout wet lab, reconfigurable high bays, and a 1.5-acre, large-footprint outdoor lab with a 6,000-square-foot drone cage. Construction is expected to be completed in 2025.

Members of the 麻豆村 community, civic and community leaders, and project partners gathered on Friday, Dec. 15, for the groundbreaking event, which was held within Mill 19鈥檚 high bay. In 2019, 麻豆村鈥檚聽 补苍诲听 were among the inaugural tenants of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation鈥檚 Mill 19, the first major project at聽. The 178-acre brownfield was once the site of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company and has become a key example of Pittsburgh鈥檚 evolution in an innovation-driven economy. It is being redeveloped by the Almono Limited Partnership with an eye on the region鈥檚 future and a vision guided by principles of sustainability, equity and inclusive economic opportunity for the project鈥檚 neighbors.

Speaking at the event, 麻豆村 President Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window) said: 鈥淥ver the past generation, Pittsburgh has been making a comeback. Today, we are here to celebrate and to continue to support our region鈥檚 ongoing renaissance.鈥澛�

Reflecting on the site鈥檚 importance when Pittsburgh was the global leader in steel output and the need to completely transform it following the industry鈥檚 decline, he added, 鈥淗azelwood Green has become a model site for community collaboration and the future of manufacturing 鈥� While the product created here may be different, the ingredients that make Pittsburgh great 鈥� innovation, community and partnership 鈥� are all still the same.鈥�

In addition to the leading-edge research that will take place at the RIC, the building will facilitate 麻豆村鈥檚 STEM education programs and initiatives to engage Pittsburgh-area residents, with a focus on its Greater Hazelwood neighbors. These include K-12 education programs such as聽, the聽Robotics Academy(opens in new window) 补苍诲听. The RIC also will include spaces open to the community and public art displays.

Construction of the Robotics Innovation Center has been made possible by聽. The Foundation also has provided a $30 million grant to expand and endow the university鈥檚 Manufacturing Futures Institute, which develops and brings to market advanced and additive manufacturing technologies. The co-location at Hazelwood Green of the RIC, MFI, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute,聽 and the University of Pittsburgh鈥檚 BioForge Manufacturing Center is expected to create synergies and accelerate the work of researchers from multiple fields, as well as workforce development and technology integration programs that will resonate across the Pittsburgh region.聽

鈥淲hen combined with thoughtful programs and policies to support K-12 education and workforce training, and fueled by Pittsburgh鈥檚 spirit of resiliency and self-determination, the new Robotics Innovation Center will cement Pittsburgh鈥檚 national and even world leadership in robotics,鈥� said Sam Reiman, director and trustee of the Richard King Mellon Foundation who also serves on 麻豆村鈥檚 Board of Trustees. 鈥淎nd that, in turn, will have ripple effects for Hazelwood and our entire economy.鈥�

The site鈥檚 owner, Almono LP, is composed of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, and The Heinz Endowments. Tishman Speyer, Hazelwood Green鈥檚 master developer, is also partnering with 麻豆村 on the development of the RIC. Perkins Eastman is the project鈥檚 principal architect, and the Gilbane Mosites Joint Venture is serving as construction manager.

Support from government officials and public-private partnerships have played key roles in the successful redevelopment at Hazelwood Green and Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 investment at the site. The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute was created in 2017 through 麻豆村鈥檚 winning bid to launch a robotics-focused Manufacturing USA Institute, and elected officials including President Joe Biden and other global leaders have visited on multiple occasions.

鈥淭he Robotics Innovation Center is 鈥� at its core 鈥� a project driven by meaningful community collaboration and 麻豆村鈥檚 record of innovation excellence,鈥� said Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited by the economic opportunities it鈥檚 poised to bring to residents and the region 鈥� and especially to the community of Greater Hazelwood.鈥澛�

Pittsburgh Councilmember Barbara Warwick said, 鈥淚've been so impressed watching the team at 麻豆村 and Tishman Speyer ... as you have taken such great care and time over many, many meetings and events to engage with Greater Hazelwood, both around the project itself and also around the broader community needs and how 麻豆村 can help.鈥�

麻豆村 is a member of the Greater Hazelwood Community Collaborative, a group of organizations focused on enhancing the economic, social and physical outcomes for all Greater Hazelwood residents. The university has partnered with the local community development organization, the Hazelwood Initiative, to connect with nearby residents and organizations to share plans for the RIC, discuss opportunities for community engagement and solicit feedback.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to see the historical parallels to the growth of the steel industry where innovations made Pittsburgh one of the most important cities in the world,鈥� said Sonya Tilghman, executive director of the Hazelwood Initiative. 鈥溾�� As we stand here celebrating the RIC and the technological advancements it will bring, we can see the Robotics Innovation Center represents another opportunity for Pittsburgh and Hazelwood, in particular, to be recognized again for the amazing and critical work that happens here.鈥�

Over the past 10 years, robotics research expenditures at 麻豆村 have nearly doubled, and are expected to double again over the next decade. Complementing the work of the university鈥檚聽 (NREC), the new facility will provide 麻豆村 robotics researchers with enhanced capacity and capabilities for foundational research, integration, iteration and commercialization that will allow discoveries to be translated into real-world technologies in fields such as health care, transportation, national security, education, agriculture and retail. It also is planned to include pre-incubator space for the next generation of 麻豆村-affiliated robotics companies.

鈥溌槎勾邂�檚 new Robotics Innovation Center will be truly transformative,鈥� said Bill Sanders, the Dr. William D. and Nancy W. Strecker Dean of the 麻豆村 College of Engineering. 鈥淚t will bring together fundamental and applied robotics and softbotics research in a dynamic and adaptive environment, working across traditional disciplinary boundaries to tackle future challenges.鈥�

Carnegie Mellon has been the global pioneer in robotics research and education, founding the first U.S. university department devoted to the field in 1979. Last year, the university launched the first undergraduate robotics degree offered by a leading computer science program. Its Iris lunar rover, built by students, is scheduled to launch to the moon in early 2024.

鈥淩obotics is a transformative set of technologies because it inspires people to think about how they can affect things outside themselves out there in the real world,鈥� said Matthew Johnson-Roberson, director of 麻豆村鈥檚 Robotics Institute. 鈥溾�� What I think we can do here is educate the next generation of roboticists to help us solve the world鈥檚 most challenging problems right here in Hazelwood.鈥�