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Home › News & Events › Chike Aguh, DoL CIO, Experiences ARM Institute VR Robotics Assessment

Chike Aguh, DoL CIO, Experiences ARM Institute VR Robotics Assessment

August 23, 2022

Mr. Chike Aguh, Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor, tries the ARM Institute's VR Robotics Technician Assessment
Mr. Chike Aguh, Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor, tries the ARM Institute’s VR Robotics Technician Assessment

On August 22, Mr. Chike Aguh, Chief Innovation Officer for the Department of Labor, tried out an interactive demonstration of the ARM Institute’s new Virtual Reality Robotic (VR) Technician Assessment. Funding for the VR Assessment project comes from the Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program. This demonstration, hosted at Carnegie Mellon University, was held in partnership with with Carnegie Mellon University’s Block Center and Heinz College. The ARM Institute was joined by the SimInsights team and led an interactive demonstration of the test.

ARM Institute Chief Workforce Officer Lisa Masciantonio and ARM Institute Certification Manager Mary Ellen Rich speak with Mr. Chike Aguh
ARM Institute Chief Workforce Officer Lisa Masciantonio and ARM Institute Certification Manager Mary Ellen Rich speak with Mr. Chike Aguh

Following the demonstration, Lisa Masciantonio (ARM Institute Chief Workforce Officer) joined Mr. Aguh for a lunch discussion with subject matter experts from Carnegie Mellon University centered on finding and engaging with workers to strengthen national supply chains.

The ARM Institute Virtual Reality Assessment is a collaborative effort with SimInsights, APT Manufacturing Solutions, and CMU’s Block Center. The purpose of this project is to create the prototype for a Virtual Reality environment in which potential and current manufacturing employees can undergo performance-based assessments that test their robotic and automation knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). The immersive VR technology will be used to test KSAs specific to the Robotics Technician role and recognize their skills.

The Robotics Technician role is among the most integral for manufacturers looking to implement robotics. These technicians are typically responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of robots on the manufacturing floor. Many current manufacturing employees have KSAs that can easily be upskilled for this role and other careers working with robotics and automation. The VR assessment provides a low-cost testing mechanism to validate competency levels that will alleviate the need for classes and shorten the hiring, onboarding, and time to productivity for new employees.

Mr. Chike Aguh Visit VR Demonstration

Learn More

Take a look into the VR assessment in the video above! To learn more about this effort, email [email protected].

ARM Institute Members will have the opportunity to learn more about this credential at the 2022 Annual Member Meeting taking place November 15-17 in Pittsburgh, PA. This event is only open to ARM Institute Members. Email [email protected] to learn more or to register.


About the ARM Institute

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse ecosystem of 300+ consortium members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience.  Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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