The apparel manufacturing sector is ripe for automation, but robots have difficulty manipulating and handling pliable materials, which has inhibited the integration of automation in the industry. Because of this, most sewing is still completed manually, and a majority of apparel manufacturing is located outside of the U.S. in countries where labor is less expensive. Since 2018, the ARM Institute has funded several robotics projects that address these needs.
In this webinar, we explored just a few of our robotics Institute’s projects centered on apparel manufacturing, the impact from these projects, and where we see the need for continued development.
Go Deeper into Our Robotics Apparel Manufacturing Projects:
- “Bot Couture” Robotic Clothing Manufacturing
- Robotic Assembly of Garments
- Development of a Cost-Effective Robotic Sewing System
- Built-By-Bot: Customized Mask Assembly using Robots
- Rapid PPE Production through Automation & Robotics (RAPPAR)
- Automated Bottom Hemming Through Robotic Garment Manipulation
Want to get involved in ARM Institute projects? Learn more about membership here or email us at [email protected].
Meet Our Expert Presenters
Joseph Andrew Giampapa
Principal Robotics Scientist, ARM Institute
Mr. Giampapa is the ARM Institute’s Principal Robotics Scientist. In this role, he leads large-scale robotics and AI initiatives and participates in technical project reviews.
Mr. Giampapa joined the ARM Institute in 2022 from Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked for 27+ years and was responsible for leading industrial and government-sponsored R&D projects in autonomous ground vehicles, the rapid re-adaptation of manufacturing robots, cybersecurity for the power transmission grid, advanced system of systems engineering, and autonomous agents and multi-agent systems. He was also responsible for developing and maintaining the English-language analysis components of an industrial technical document automatic machine translation system. Prior to joining CMU, Mr. Giampapa was product manager for Olivetti’s artificial intelligence product lines, providing direction to both European Community AI projects as well as developing industrial solutions.
Mr. Giampapa holds a Master of Science in Language Technologies from Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science. He has held a senior research position at the Software Engineering Institute, taught graduate seminars, and mentored M.S. and Ph.D. students in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, College of Engineering, and Tepper School of Business. He has published more than 60 publications in international peer-reviewed venues.
Cara Cranston
Senior Programs Manager, ARM Institute
Cara Cranston is a Senior Program Manager for the ARM Institute. In her role, Cara is responsible for managing the ARM Institute’s portfolio of Technology projects and supporting the process by which they are selected. Through this work, Cara helps to fulfill the ARM Institute’s mission of increasing U.S. global competitiveness by accelerating innovative technologies that make robots more accessible to U.S. manufacturers.
Prior to joining the ARM Institute, Cara worked as a Program Manager for NAVSEA, the civilian engineering Command for the US Navy. Cara established and managed a cybersecurity program for Aircraft Carrier mechanical and electrical industrial controls systems. She led the strategic planning, budgeting, and oversight of projects to secure these internet of things (IoT) ship systems from digital attacks. Projects in this portfolio included hardware and software development (network sensors, intrusion detection, boundary defense, etc.) and compliance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management Framework.
Cara is a graduate of Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate in Cybersecurity from the Naval Postgraduate School.
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 390+ 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.