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The Massachusetts Know-how Collaborative (MassTech) has launched an initiative to spice up the robotics sector throughout the state, an effort funded via $5 million in funding. The brand new division, established inside the Innovation Institute at MassTech, will assist catalyze a complete statewide cluster improvement effort for robotics that can deal with enlargement of analysis and improvement (R&D), testing, commercialization, and workforce improvement.
The division will probably be led by the brand new director of the Division of Robotics, Peter Haas, who involves MassTech from the personal sector, the place he was the CEO of Avendly, the restaurant robotics firm. Previous to his startup work, Haas served because the analysis director for laptop imaginative and prescient AI software program at IDC and the affiliate director of Brown College’s Humanity Centered Robotics Initiative. As a frontrunner within the robotics house, he has spoken at The Economist’s World Forward Gala and DHL Robotics Days, plus was on the qualifying groups for each the AI and robotic Avatar X-PRIZE competitions.
“This new robotics division will assist Massachusetts craft an revolutionary wave of robotics applied sciences that can solidify our world management on this subject,” mentioned financial improvement secretary Yvonne Hao. “We’re dedicated to equipping our college students and workforce with the right instruments to check future developments as they create autonomous merchandise that can play a pivotal position in shaping the trade’s future. Peter Haas has the data and experience wanted to make sure that we keep forward of the competitors.”
“Robotics extends past Boston and Cambridge; it’s a statewide trade in Massachusetts, with cohorts of robotics firms clustered in Central Massachusetts and North of Boston, in addition to the marine-focused autonomy startups clustered throughout Cape Cod and the South Coast,” mentioned Carolyn Kirk, govt director of the MassTech Collaborative. “Peter’s multifaceted experience in robotics, each as a technologist, college chief, and startup govt, make this a serious addition to our MassTech staff. His profession expertise will make him a pure accomplice for our current stakeholders throughout the Massachusetts robotics ecosystem. He’s the best particular person to assist us design and launch game-changing packages that assist analysis, workforce, and ecosystem improvement and can assist us preserve our world management in robotics and autonomy.”
3 keys to rising Massachusetts robotics ecosystem
The brand new Robotics Division will design packages to deal with three key focus areas:
Ecosystem Growth: Packages to strengthen connections between stakeholders to develop and additional form state’s profile as a worldwide chief in robotics
Know-how Commercialization: Intention to offer startup assist companies, entry to assets, and knowledgeable mentorship to early-stage robotics firms
Workforce Growth: Efforts to deal with trade’s want for middle-skill staff skilled to work with robotic programs and broaden entry to careers in robotics, notably for populations which have confronted underrepresentation within the tech and innovation economic system
“The Robotics cluster in Massachusetts is main the way in which amongst robotics clusters throughout the nation. It’s a powerhouse in warehouse and logistics robotics, and has a density of distinctive educational packages that’s unparalleled, main america in per capita robotics patents,” mentioned Haas. “It additionally has a range of sectors represented that’s distinctive among the many robotics clusters, from undersea to humanoid and client to protection. If you wish to design or construct robots, few locations can match the expertise pool the exists within the Bay State. This funding provides MassTech the chance to construct on an incredible basis to make Massachusetts a famend world vacation spot for robotics innovation.”
MassRobotics Accelerator
The primary program funded beneath the brand new initiative is the brand new accelerator program launched in early November 2023 by Boston-based MassRobotics, the “world’s main world unbiased robotics innovation hub.” The inaugural MassRobotics Accelerator powered by MassTech will assist 10 robotics firms by offering “programming, particular person mentorship, and immersion within the world-class robotics community” that exists throughout Massachusetts, together with the robotics and autonomy startups housed at MassRobotics’ headquarters in Boston’s Seaport. The primary accelerator cohort, which will probably be introduced in early 2024, will take part in a 13-week program that can present direct mentorship, entry to expertise and enterprise assets within the area, and an funding of $100,000 in non-dilutive funding to spice up their improvements.
“The funding for a robotics division inside Mass Tech Collaborative will probably be impactful to the rising robotics trade right here inside the Commonwealth,” mentioned Tom Ryden, govt director MassRobotics. “The division will probably be in a singular place to focus on the big selection of efforts and assets Massachusetts has to make it the premier place to begin and develop robotics and automation firms.”
The MassRobotics Accelerator will culminate in a Demo Day on the Robotics Summit & Expo on Might 2, 2024. Collaborating startups can have the chance to pitch their firms to traders, trade leaders, and the broader tech group. MassRobotics is a strategic accomplice of the Robotics Summit & Expo, which is produced by The Robotic Report and dad or mum firm WTWH Media.
“I’m actually excited to listen to about MassRobotics’ new non-dilutive accelerator program funded by the Massachusetts Know-how Collaborative,” mentioned Peter Howard, CEO of RealTime Robotics, headquartered in Boston. “Each MassRobotics and the Collaborative have extremely skilled and insightful robotics entrepreneurs, able to each selecting nice applied sciences, and nurturing nice groups. Realtime Robotics had the nice fortune to land at MassRobotics shortly after each they and we shaped. They had been unbelievable companions in serving to us construct our enterprise and make the best connections. They’ve grown right into a regional, nationwide, and now internationally famend robotics incubator. The Collaborative’s funding is being put in nice palms that can guarantee nice issues come to life with it.”
The newly launched robotics initiative builds upon MassTech’s assist and funding within the state’s robotics sector during the last decade-plus, together with over $28 million in awards advance the robotics sector in Massachusetts. Earlier investments embody a multi-year dedication to MassRobotics’ Jumpstart Fellowship program, which gives coaching alternatives for various highschool ladies to realize a foothold within the robotics trade, in addition to bigger investments in robotics testbeds statewide.
Different focus areas for Innovation Institute at MassTech
The Innovation Institute at MassTech has made a number of main investments in robotics infrastructure and expertise improvement via its Collaborative Analysis & Growth Matching Grant Program and Know-how and Innovation Ecosystem grant packages, together with:
- A $2 million grant to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for New Autonomous Techniques Lab, a testing floor for revolutionary autonomous applied sciences which are advancing future capabilities within the automotive, transportation, healthcare, robotics, and automation and manufacturing sectors
- A $4.4 million funding in Boston College’s Robotics and Autonomous Techniques Educating and Innovation Heart (RASTIC), a three-year, $8.78 million challenge managed by BU in collaboration with MassRobotics and 6 trade companions
- A grant of $2 million to assist the creation of BlueTech OCEAN (Open Collaborative Experimentation and Acceleration Community) at MITRE in Bedford, a two-year challenge that supported the current launch of a world-class check tank for marine robotics and a knowledge sharing collaboration
- Over $3 million in assist for a analysis middle led by Harvard and BU targeted on assistive robotics and wearable applied sciences, to spur the event of rehabilitation, diagnostic, and assistive gadgets which are extra light-weight, reasonably priced, and related, instruments designed to assist folks with neuro-motor impairments.
MassTech’s new robotics division will strategically deploy funding with the goal of boosting the robotics ecosystem’s affect on the state’s tech and innovation economic system, as properly with industries with robust regional significance, together with superior manufacturing, healthcare, local weather tech, and protection. The capacities developed via this initiative are meant to spice up the state’s aggressive benefit and spur job progress, to assist deal with growing competitors from areas globally.
