ARM Hosts Air Force ManTech Technical Interchange Meeting on Industrial Robotics

In early February, The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute hosted the first of the Air Force ManTech’s Technical Interchange Meetings at Mill 19. This meeting was the first in a series of events intended to aid in AF ManTech’s prioritization of focus areas and capabilities as the areas relate to transformational manufacturing technologies. The need for these focused discussions was catalyzed by updates made to the AF ManTech investment strategy to better reflect technologies associated with Industry 4.0 and the new defense posture articulated in the National Defense Strategy.

In addition to hosting the meeting, representatives from ARM’s leadership and technical team aided in guiding the conversations. Representatives from government selected ARM Member organizations also participated to provide insight and expertise from industry. General topics included: robotic configurability, adaptability, interaction, motion, manipulation, perception, cognitive ability, and mobility.

The meeting resulted in the prioritization of industrial robotics focus areas that will act as the foundation for the AF ManTech Industrial Robotics roadmap. Conversations also focused in on industrial robotics capabilities that could be addressed through ManTech funding.

Air Force ManTech selecting ARM to host the first of its 2020 Technical Interchange Meetings epitomizes the criticality of collaboration between government and industry. ARM acts as a confluence point with access to more than 220 member organizations that serve as subject area experts in robotics and workforce development, bridging the critical gap between government and industrial to strengthen the US industrial base.

ABOUT ARM

Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) is the nation’s leading collaborative in robotics and workforce innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership, we accelerate transformative robotic technologies and education to increase U.S. global manufacturing competitiveness. Founded in January 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA by Carnegie Mellon University through an independent non-profit, and funded by the Department of Defense, ARM is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. Learn more at www.arminstitute.org.