Rice University joins US robotics effort

Rice University recently became an academic player in a $250 million robotics manufacturing institute.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awarded an $80 million contract to American Robotics Inc., a non-profit consortium run by Carnegie Mellon University. The contract, along with $173 million in matching funds from academic and non-profit organizations, companies and local governments, will fund the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Innovation Hub in Pittsburgh.

The DoD’s goal with ARM is to combine the disparate elements of current robot technology manufacturing into one cohesive unit. Over the next decade, ARM will strive to boost worker productivity by 30 percent, create a half-million manufacturing jobs, and promote robotics for use in small and medium enterprises, as well as in aerospace, automotive, electronics and textiles.

The Rice component of ARM will be led by computer science and bioengineering Prof. Lydia Kavraki.
 
“We will participate as a core university member,” Kavraki said. “One of the main areas where we will lend expertise is in robot motion planning, which cuts across all the main themes of the proposal, including collaborative robotics and rapid deployment of flexible robotic manufacturing.

Kavraki said Rice also will benefit by collaborating with experts in robotics who need Rice’s strength in motion planning, verification and model checking, artificial intelligence and formal methods.

“This is also an opportunity for us to contribute to the mission of the institute, to provide leadership in advanced manufacturing and empower American workers and small companies,” she said. “The ARM institute will place significant effort in workforce training for the benefit of society.”