The ARM Institute Throughout Its Five Years

In January 2022, the ARM Institute marked its fifth anniversary. Stood up in January 2017 as a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Department of Defense and part of the Manufacturing USA Network, the ARM Institute has leveraged more than 330 member organizations across the nation to accomplish the work needed to strengthen US manufacturing through robotics and workforce innovation.

Among our many achievements, the ARM Institute has:

Catalyzed, funded, and managed more than 120 robotics, artificial intelligence, and workforce centered projects
Launched RoboticsCareer.org – a national resource connecting education and career seekers with education for manufacturing careers working with robotics
Convened a national ecosystem of more than 340 member organizations, with 65 based in Southwestern PA, all dedicated to building the future of U.S. manufacturing through robotics, AI, and workforce development
Built a team of more than 20 subject matter experts
Worked with the Department of Defense to rapidly catalyze solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, including solutions for testing, PPE production, large space disinfection, and more
First organization to move into Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green upon the building’s completion in July 2019

Take a look back with us at just a few moments from the past five years below:

2015 – Prior to the Formation of the ARM Institute

December 2015: Dr. Gary Fedder and Dr. Howie Choset from Carnegie Mellon University begin working on the concept of the ARM Institute

2017 – The ARM Institute’s First Year

January 2017: ARM Institute is stood up separately from Carnegie Mellon University as a national DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) part of the Manufacturing USA Network with $80M in federal funding and 200+ letters of support from industry and academia
February 2017: The ARM Institute hires its first full time staff member – Jay Douglass, Chief Operating Officer, setting the groundwork for the ARM Institute’s team of approximately 20 expert staff members
March 2017: The ARM Institute hosts a kick-off meeting for over 350 people at its interim headquarters at the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) in Pittsburgh, PA.

November 2017: The ARM Institute hosts its first three-day Annual Member Meeting, drawing more than 200 attendees from across the nation
November 20, 2017: The ARM Institute hosts a groundbreaking for its new headquarters at Mill 19 in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood

Mill 19 in 2017 before constructions began. The ARM Institute would move into this space just a few years later

2018 – The ARM Institute Awards its First Robotics & Education/Workforce Projects

April 2, 2018 – Inaugural leadership committee and council members named for the Technical Advisory Committee, Education & Workforce Advisory Committee, Stakeholder Executive Council, and Regional Robotics Council
April 18, 2018 – ARM Institute hosts first Tech Day event in preparation for first formal Technology Project Call
May 2, 2018 – Digital ARM Member Community launches to facilitate national collaboration
May 15, 2018 – First Technology and Education & Workforce Development Project Calls are publicly released
June 12, 2018 – First ARM Institute Projects are funded as Quick Start Projects, selected from the initial proposal to create the ARM Institute
July 2018 – ARM Institute selects 8 robotics projects and 6 workforce projects from its first formal Project Call, awarding $5.4M for a total investment of $10.8M

2019 – The Institute Moves to Mill 19 in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Neighborhood

January 2019 – ARM Institute selects 11 new robotics projects for funding, awarding $5.7M for a total investment of $11.4M
May 2019 – ARM Institute selects 11 new workforce projects for funding, awarding $2.2M in funding for a total investment of $7.8M
July 2019 – ARM Institute moves into Mill 19 headquarters

August 2019 – ARM Institute reaches 200 member organizations
September 2019 – ARM Institute hosts formal opening event for its new Mill 19 headquarters
September 2019 – ARM Institute hosts national Education & Workforce Development Solutions Summit, out of which the concept for RoboticsCareer.org is born
October 2019 – ARM Institute selects six more robotics projects providing $2.5M in funding for a total investment of $5.8M
December 2019 – ARM Institute selects four more robotics projects providing $1.6M in funding for a total investment of $5.3 million

2020 – ARM Institute is Selected to Help Mitigate the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Robotics Innovation

February 2020 – ARM Institute hosts Joint Summit: Robotics in Sustainment II (JROBOT). Five DoD-specific projects are selected for funding
March 2020 – Ira Moskowitz is appointed as incoming ARM Institute CEO
June 2020 – Robotics Business Review awards ARM Institute with a RBR50 Innovation Award for Mill 19
July 2020 – NIST funds ARM Institute project with Wilder Systems focused on automating COVID-19 testing

July 2020 – ARM Institute reaches 250 member organizations
July 2020 – ARM Institute stands up Education & Workforce Development projects for the data collection for and creation of RoboticsCareer.org, awarding $2M in funding
September 2020 – Working with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the ARM Institute catalyzes nine COVID-19 robotics projects
02/24/21 – BOSTON, MA – Students test medical protective gear using robots in the ISEC building on Feb 24, 2021. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

October 2020 – ARM Institute hosts first virtual Member Meeting due to COVID-19 with record attendance
October 2020 – ARM Institute selects 8 technology projects, awarding $2.9M in project funding for a total investment of $7.5M
November 2020 – ARM Institute is named as a partner in four new Defense Manufacturing Communities across the nation

2021 – Exceeding 300 Member Organizations, The ARM Institute Launched RoboticsCareer.org

March 2021 – ARM Institute announces first selections of Directed ARM Institute Projects addressing specific Air Force needs
April 2021 – ARM Institute hosts national Artificial Intelligence Discovery Workshop to identify key enabling solutions to pervasive AI needs
May 2021 – ARM Institute names first Fellow – Dr. Jared Glover from CapSen Robotics
May 2021 – ARM Institute exceeds 300 member organizations
May 2021 – RoboticsCareer.org, powered by the ARM Institute, launches as a national solution connecting career seekers with training for manufacturing careers working with robotics

June 2021 – First recipients of ARM Endorsement program are announced
August 2021 – ARM Institute hosts virtual summit on the impact of its COVID-19 focused robotics projects
August 2021 – ARM Institute named as administrator for Keystone Space Collaborative grant from the R.K. Mellon Foundation
September 2021 – Ira Moskowitz participates in Inaugural United States-European Union Trade and Technology Council Meeting.

Principals, including Ambassador Katherine Tai, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, EU Commissioner & Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, and EU Commisssioner & Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager answer questions from the media after posing for a photo during the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council at Mill 19 on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.

October 2021 – ARM Institute receives $2.997M Department of Labor grant to expand RoboticsCareer.org and facilitate displace worker training in Tampa Bay, FL
December 2021 – The Pittsburgh Region’s Build Back Better proposal focused on the use of robotics is named one of 60 finalists. The ARM Institute helps to lead the proposal effort

2022 – Marking Five Years of Robotics & Workforce Innovation with Many More to Come

January 2022 – ARM Institute announces new initiative to develop a virtual reality prototype for robotic credential assessment in manufacturing
January 2022 – ARM Institute marks five year anniversary
January 2022 – President Joe Biden visits the ARM Institute’s Mill 19 Headquarters
March 2022 – ARM Institute Awarded American Rescue Act Grants to Increase Access to Advanced Manufacturing Opportunities
March 2022 – Ira Moskowitz joins MassRobotics panel discussion with U.S. Secretary of Labor

What’s to Come

The ARM Institute’s work is just getting started! Now is a great time to join our national consortium and help us build the future of U.S. manufacturing. Email [email protected] to learn more.

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.