Pittsburgh; Llivable or Leavable? (employment, stats, to move)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Humanoid

So what sort of robotics companies are in the area? What are the biggest companies?

I don't know what companies are biggest, but I've seen articles about all sorts of robotics companies, from defense-related, to manufacturing, to delivery, to inspection, and so on.

[Katiana]

I did a google search on this just now; this is the best information I could find:

http://www.smartpolicy.org/pdf/TOP-Robotics.pdf

Since the article is in pdf form, I can't do a quote, but I will paraphrase: Pittsburgh does not have a large industry base in robotics. The most successful robotics company does not even employ 500 people.
Granted this is from 2003, but I looked pretty hard to find something even that current. The first page of the google search yielded an article from 2000 that said roughly the same thing. This article came from p. 2. My high-tech consultant (LOL, my DH) says the robotics stuff is mostly talk, and has resulted in not a lot of jobs.

[BrianTH]

It would indeed be a mistake to look to a field like robotics for a lot of direct job-creation.

[Humanoid]

It would indeed be a mistake to look to a field like robotics for a lot of direct job-creation.

Why?

But this ignores the point. Robotics is often quoted here as being a "growing" industry in the area, yet where is it? What are the major companies?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Humanoid

Why?

Because the robotics industry tends not to be labor-intensive.

But this ignores the point. Robotics is often quoted here as being a "growing" industry in the area, yet where is it? What are the major companies?

It appears no one here knows a comprehensive list of robotics companies in the region, broken down by size. You could probably contact someone at CMU's Robotics Institute if you are really interested.

Incidentally, I can tell you a few names I have seen in articles recently (e.g., Aethon, RedZone, Applied Perception, and Seegrid), but again that is far from a comprehensive list, and indeed I have no idea if these would even be considered among the "major" robotics companies in the area.

[guylocke]

Ask the US government where they are sending their money. The military has invested huge amounts of money in the Pittsburgh region for their robotics programs. TIME just named Pittsburgh "Roboburgh" recently, too, and Bush told the media once he refers to Pittsburgh as "knowledge valley" in reference to "silicon valley." Then again, for Bush, knowledge would be which utensil to use to eat steak, but that is neither here nor there.

The world isn't just "making it up" that Pittsburgh is excelling at the robotics industry just because you can't find the companies, Humanoid. I know both CMU and Pitt are largely associated with the programs and the start-up companies they fund. I imagine the companies aren't publicly traded, either.

[Katiana]

They (WSJ) dubbed our city "Roboburgh," (in 1999) in part because of the groundbreaking work in robotics research done at Carnegie Mellon University.

Post-Gazette Feb. 18, 2003

However, according to the link I posted, "the city does not currently (2003) have a large industry base in any robotics field."

Carnegie-Mellon received 9% of all NSF funding for robotics research between 1989 and 2001, more than any other university. Total research dollars in FY2001 was $24 million.

[jinxd_13]

Just wondering if you realize 2003 was 5 yrs ago and that is practically a millenia when it come to technology and progress

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I did a google search on this just now; this is the best information I could find:

http://www.smartpolicy.org/pdf/TOP-Robotics.pdf

Since the article is in pdf form, I can't do a quote, but I will paraphrase: Pittsburgh does not have a large industry base in robotics. The most successful robotics company does not even employ 500 people.
Granted this is from 2003, but I looked pretty hard to find something even that current. The first page of the google search yielded an article from 2000 that said roughly the same thing. This article came from p. 2. My high-tech consultant (LOL, my DH) says the robotics stuff is mostly talk, and has resulted in not a lot of jobs.

Yes. See the above post about this topic. Anyone else is of course welcome to find anything else they can that shows some objective data, e.g. not an opinion piece that says "Robotics is big here" with no backup.

[guylocke]

I'm actually not convinced it is creating a lot of jobs per say, but it is definitely producing results. CMU is one of the robotic mecca's in the country, that can't be disputed, I'm sorry, but it can't.

I'm not sure if Pittsburgh schools are actually receiving the MOST funding from the governement for robotic research, but I know last year I read an article that showed that the Pittsburgh region is receiving the highest INCREASES in robotic research funding. For example, year to year, the Pittsburgh region has been receiving like 200% or 400% more government money than the previous year (those percents were just an example, it was on popcitymedia less than a year ago if you're so inclined to look it up.) In fact, I actually think it's in "Happenings."

You people who are disputing CMU and Pitts expertise in Robotics are moronic. The president of the USA doesn't come to Pittsburgh to DIRECTLY observe and meet the experts in robotics research for ****s and giggles.

CMU was the University to form the National Center for Defense Robotics, one example.

Here is ONE article from March of 2008. Come one guys, you'd fight with the television if it would fight back.
Robotics professor at CMU wins big

A pioneer in robotics, Dr. Kanade created the first complete face-recognition system and first direct-drive robotic arm, both of which are still in use decades later. Another creation, EyeVision, was used during broadcast of the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla. It used 51 cameras plus computer software to provide viewers with "virtualized reality" of action from any angle.

Carnegie Mellon University's U.A. and Helen Whitaker professor of computer science and robotics is this year's recipient of one of the world's richest awards for scientific achievement.

Read this for gods sake and then shut up already. Pittsburgh has TWO of the top 8 schools for NSF funding for robotic related research.
http://www.smartpolicy.org/pdf/TOP-Robotics.pdf

http://www.cup.edu/nu_upload/Robotics_in_Pittsburgh.pdf

Another thing I can directly point out is CMU's portfolio of awards that it gets for robotic races (that is, the fastest University to create X-specific robot) or creating the best of a certain robot or fastest or smartest (Pittsburgh is also a leader in Artificail Intilligence, there, that's another thing you guys can fight about) or smallest or most intuitive ETC.

They win awards ALL the freaking time, it's in the newspapers practically monthly.