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Jennifer Apicella has been named the brand new Govt Director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Community. | Supply: Jim Harris/PBT

The Pittsburgh Robotics Community (PRN) has introduced the appointment of Jennifer Apicella because the Govt Director, efficient instantly. Apicella has been serving because the Interim Govt Director since Could 2023 and beforehand held the place of Vice President of Partnerships and Applications since February 2021. Her dedication and confirmed management have been instrumental in advancing the mission of the PRN, which serves because the nexus for over 140 robotics organizations within the Better Pittsburgh area. 

“I’m excited to have the ability to proceed this work, steering the Pittsburgh Robotics Community right into a future brimming with collaborative progress and innovation. Along with our companions, we’ll proceed to amplify Pittsburgh’s already well-established standing as one of many prime worldwide hubs for robotics, automation and synthetic intelligence,” Apicella mentioned. 

“Our area’s robotics cluster is without doubt one of the most superior and progressive on this planet, and I’m delighted to have the ability to broaden this work, fostering a neighborhood that facilitates new alternatives for business progress and business partnerships to speed up the adoption of robotic options throughout the globe,” Apicella mentioned. 

The PRN has additionally formally moved its workplaces into the Robotics Manufacturing unit, positioned throughout the Tech Forge alongside Pittsburgh’s “Robotics Row.” The Robotics Manufacturing unit, which is backed by Innovation Works, the Pittsburgh Robotics Community, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economic system Collaborative, serves as a catalyst for nurturing early-stage robotics startups, expediting the commercialization of robotics options, and enhancing manufacturing capabilities. It’s by means of private and non-private partnerships like these that actual influence may be achieved for the area. 

“Jennifer’s appointment comes at a pivotal time, marking a brand new chapter for our area’s robotics ecosystem,” Kevin Dowling, Chair of the Pittsburgh Robotics Community Board of Administrators and Managing Director of the Robotics Manufacturing unit, mentioned. “Her confirmed means to attach, encourage, and propel the robotics enterprise neighborhood ahead makes her the best chief to navigate the group’s journey forward.”

Because the PRN embarks on this new chapter, the synergies between the Pittsburgh robotics enterprise ecosystem and the broader world robotics sector are poised to achieve new heights underneath Jennifer Apicella’s management. In June 2023 the PRN introduced a strategic partnership with Denmark’s Odense Robotics, geared toward producing transatlantic enterprise progress alternatives and solidifying ties between the 2 eminent world robotics ecosystems. 

The Pittsburgh Robotics Community stays dedicated to empowering the area’s robotics organizations and additional solidifying Pittsburgh’s place as an internationally acknowledged powerhouse in robotics and AI. “As our area continues to spend money on offering new applications and sources to assist develop our business robotics companies, this can lead to new firms right here, who will then be capable of present extra jobs in our neighborhood,” Apicella mentioned. 

The announcement comes because the PRN gears up for the extremely anticipated Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day on November 16, 2023, an occasion showcasing the exceptional robotics neighborhood revolutionizing our world. Free and open to all, Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day presents enterprise professionals, traders, entrepreneurs, job seekers, college students, and most people a myriad of alternatives to have interaction with Pittsburgh’s world-leading robotics ecosystem.

The occasion, hosted on the David L. Lawrence Conference Heart, will function over 130 exhibitors together with notable organizations equivalent to Aurora, Agility Robotics, and Carnegie Mellon College. Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day is supported by partnerships with the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economic system Collaborative, the Allegheny Convention on Neighborhood Improvement, Innovation Works, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Fee. 

This 12 months’s occasion will draw hundreds to expertise stay demonstrations of the robots and AI applied sciences altering the best way we stay, transfer, and work, meet the people making them doable, find out about numerous methods to get into the sector – from conventional levels to new coaching applications – and join with the neighborhood organizations elevating our autonomy ecosystem. Attendees can expertise 4 Discovery Zones — Robotics, Manufacturing, Profession Pathways, and Neighborhood – with experiences starting from hands-on demonstrations of superior robotics expertise and next-generation manufacturing strategies to exploring profession and enterprise alternatives. The occasion’s Essential Stage shows will spotlight the people behind the robots, in addition to provide an opportunity to listen to from rising robotics and AI firms throughout the Robotics Manufacturing unit Startup Showcase. The occasion will culminate in a Robotics and Tech Glad Hour held onsite from 4 p.m. to six p.m.