PITTSBURGH (March 24, 2022) — Pittsburgh is the birthplace of autonomous vehicles and is often referred to as the Robotics Capital of the World. The region continues that legacy with an autonomous vehicle industry event hosted by the Pittsburgh Robotics Network which will discuss the state of the autonomous vehicle industry on April 21, 2022, at 4:00pm. The keynote panel and award event will mark a historical moment as founders and leaders of the top autonomous vehicle (AV) companies in the world convene in Pittsburgh to discuss the status of their businesses, current and future industry insights and impact on the workforce. Keynote panel speakers include: 

• Peter Rander, Ph.D., Co-Founder & President, Argo AI
• Chris Urmson, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CEO, Aurora
• Çetin Meriçli, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CEO, Locomation
• Balajee Kannan, Ph.D., VP of Technical Programs, Motional
• Kevin Peterson, Head of Perception, Waymo

“This event is an opportunity to hear directly from the individuals leading the drive to create autonomous vehicle solutions, and Pittsburgh increasingly is becoming the place where this happens. We are proud of the relationships that have been forged with an increasing number of commercial ventures developing autonomous solutions here, working to improve overall mobility and to make significant advancements in the everyday lives of people,” said Joel Reed, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Robotics Network. 

This event marks a series of milestones including the announcement of the Pittsburgh Robotics Cluster Profile, a document that focuses on the Pittsburgh region’s unique position for fostering growth and opportunity in global robotics industries. The profile expands upon a report commissioned last year by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation called Forefront: Securing Pittsburgh’s Break-out Position in Autonomous Mobile Systems, which detailed Pittsburgh’s breakout position in autonomous mobile solutions. 

During the event, the Pittsburgh Robotics Network will also recognize Carnegie Mellon University professor and roboticist Dr. William “Red” Whittaker with the Pittsburgh Robotics Impact Award. "Dr. Whittaker's commitment to robotics spans decades and his work pioneered autonomous vehicles, space robotics, sensing and perception, robotic manipulation and industrial robotics, and has even given rise to the entire discipline of field robotics. We are honored to highlight the significant impact Dr. Whittaker has made on the global robotics and automation industry throughout his decades of influential leadership and mentoring to many of today’s successful commercial robotics business leaders,” said Jennifer Apicella, Program Director at the Pittsburgh Robotics Network.

The event also officially kicks off the Pittsburgh Robotics Network’s new Industry Insights Speaker Series. These bi-monthly in-person events will provide the broader business community an opportunity to hear from robotics industry thought-leaders. This inaugural event is hosted by the Pittsburgh Robotics Network and will also include remarks from the event’s Keynote Sponsor, the Smart Manufacturing Experience.