ARM Institute Members vary in their focus areas, sizes, and history, but one common thread unites each organization: a drive to build the future of US manufacturing. Each of member organization leverages their strengths and areas of expertise to secure a brighter future for the US workforce, a stronger Organic Industrial Base (OIB), and a more resilient manufacturing economy. We bridge the gaps between industry, academia, and government to solve complex issues inhibiting the ability for the US to be a global leader in manufacturing output. To do this, we convene every stakeholder across manufacturing – from manufacturers themselves, technology providers, and defense suppliers to universities and community colleges, start-ups, and others.
This month, our five questions interview features ARM Member Stacey Ngo Engineer I, Catalyst at Westinghouse. In this interview, Stacey takes us through her experience as an ARM Member, what she’s looking forward to at this year’s Annual ARM Member Meeting, how ARM Members can engage with Westinghouse, and more!
1. Can you start by telling us about your role at Westinghouse?
I am an engineer whose role spans multiple departments and teams at Westinghouse, operating at the intersection of engineering, strategic alignment, manufacturing, and innovation. I support the evaluation and advancement of emerging technologies through technical assessments, synthesis of cross‑functional inputs, and alignment of development and innovation activities both within Westinghouse and with external partners. In parallel, my engineering work focuses on improving manufacturing processes and product performance through data analysis, technical reporting, and close collaboration with manufacturing, welding, and engineering teams.
2. How and why did Westinghouse start engaging with the ARM Institute as an ARM Member?
Westinghouse has been an ARM Member since approximately 2017. In mid‑2023, the Westinghouse robotics capability was realigned under Innovation and re‑established as a dedicated “Robotics & Sensors” group, with a renewed emphasis on leveraging Westinghouse’s ARM membership. By late 2025, Westinghouse had successfully re‑engaged with the ARM Institute, actively participating in events, the Annual Member Meeting, and a Project Call.
3. Broadly, what are some challenges or opportunities that Westinghouse is exploring as they relate to robotics and AI? How can your fellow ARM Members support your work? What would you tell ARM Members who are interested in collaborating with you?
We are actively exploring the use of robotics and automation (R&A) to address several persistent challenges across the nuclear industry, particularly in safety, efficiency, and workforce sustainability. A primary focus is reducing radiation exposure and operational risk by shifting hazardous, repetitive, and hard‑to‑reach tasks from human operators to robotic systems. In parallel, automated inspection, sensing, and monitoring technologies present strong opportunities to improve quality, reliability, and consistency by reducing human variability and enabling earlier detection of defects or degradation. We also see significant potential for R&A to alleviate operational bottlenecks, such as welding, inspections, and component handling, through automation, digital sequencing, and remote operations.
The key challenges associated with adopting these technologies is the highly regulated nuclear environments and confined spaces. R&A solutions must be robust, modular, and scalable, while integrating seamlessly into existing nuclear workflows and meeting stringent quality, safety, and licensing requirements. To address this, we are focused on structured technology evaluation, rapid prototyping/demonstration, and collaborative development, particularly in the TRL 3–6 range, to reduce technical risk while accelerating deployment of promising solutions.
Our fellow ARM Members can support this effort by partnering with us to co‑develop applied R&D concepts that directly align their technical capabilities with our identified operational pain points. We are especially interested in collaboration around robotic welding, mobile inspection platforms, AI‑driven diagnostics, intelligent safety systems, and system integration. For ARM Members interested in collaborating, we encourage early engagement and open technical dialogue. Successful partnerships are built on a shared understanding of real‑world nuclear constraints, a clear value proposition for deployment, and a willingness to iterate through testing and demonstration.
4. You attended our Annual Member Meeting last year and presented a five-minute pitch. Ahead of our 10th Annual Member Meeting taking place Nov. 17-19 in Pittsburgh, can you tell us about your experience at our event and the value you found in it?
I found the ARM Annual Member Meeting to be a highly valuable experience that enabled meaningful engagement with industry, government, and academic partners advancing robotics and automation for manufacturing. Presenting the five‑minute pitch challenged me to clearly and concisely articulate Westinghouse’s needs and priorities, particularly around deploying robotics in complex, highly regulated nuclear environments. The feedback and questions I received helped refine how I communicate technical challenges and identify where collaboration could have the greatest impact.
Beyond the pitch, the real value came from the depth of discussion and connection throughout the event. I had the opportunity to engage in focused conversations around applied R&D, technology readiness, and pathways from prototype to deployment. The meeting strengthened my understanding of the capabilities within the ARM ecosystem and highlighted concrete opportunities for collaboration, co‑development, and external funding. Overall, the experience reinforced the importance of cross‑industry collaboration and demonstrated the ARM Annual Member Meeting’s role as a practical catalyst for turning shared challenges into actionable partnerships.
ARM Institute Note: Interested in presenting a pitch at this year’s Annual Member Meeting? Apply by June 30, 2026 to be considered!
5. What’s new with Westinghouse that you’d like to highlight?
I’d like to highlight Westinghouse’s continued focus on advancing robotics and automation to improve safety, quality, and efficiency across nuclear operations and manufacturing. We are actively evaluating and piloting robotics and automation solutions to automate repetitive tasks, and improve inspection consistency and reliability. This includes work around autonomous and remote inspections, intelligent sensing, and AI‑driven diagnostics.
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ARM Institute Members lead the way to a future where people and robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to develop and produce the world’s most desired products. By becoming a member of our nearly 500 member organization consortium, you’ll join thousands of subject matter experts in building the future of US manufacturing through robotics, physical AI, and workforce innovations. Your membership to our robotics institute unlocks not only access to member-exclusive events and webinars, including our Annual Member Meeting, but also project funding opportunities, project outputs, networking, a digital platform for collaboration, and more.
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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 and robust consortium of nearly 500 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 X.