Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day shows acceleration of robotics industry

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh is at the forefront of the robotics industry, and at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Wednesday, you could find all the ways businesses here at home are transforming lives around the world at the third annual Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day.
Jenn Apicella is the executive director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, which hosted the event.
“I’m seeing a renaissance happening in our region,” Apicella said.
As you walked through the building, it was easy to see why she said that. You could feel the energy and the creative juices flowing, surrounded by the innovation in our backyard.
“Pittsburgh is on the map. The world is watching us,” Apicella said.
Through the event, they wanted to showcase why our city has become the robotics capital of the world.
“We’re at that nexus point in sort of the business world, where not only is the tech here and available, it’s commoditized, ready to purchase, but businesses are like, ‘I’ve got to compete, I’ve got to grow my business, I need to adopt these technologies,'” Apicella said.
Southwestern Pennsylvania is now home to more than 125 robotics companies, with many founded by graduates of Carnegie Mellon University. They’re making self-driving vehicles, drones, and other kinds of robots for varying industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare.
One is Gather AI, which uses drones to help count business inventory. David Zimmer is one of their engineers and is from the region.
“We can just use this drone and a single person to fly a bunch of inventory locations and do the exact same thing as a team of people,” Zimmer said.
When Zimmer knew he wanted to enter this field, he didn’t think to go anywhere other than Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh is the best city for robotics,” Zimmer said. 
The industry only continues to evolve, with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network inviting more than 1,000 high schoolers to explore possible career opportunities.
Apicella said this technology is not about taking jobs away but helping folks to do them better, and Pittsburgh is leading the way.
“We’re going to see more jobs, we’re going to see more companies, and I say embrace the change, right? Get out there and find your place in it,” Apicella said.