Abstract
Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, and Robotics for Advancing Manufacturing
The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute was established by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in 2017 as an independent, non-profit consortium. The ARM Institute is one of nine DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) and one of sixteen Manufacturing USA® Institutes. The mission of the ARM Institute is to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and robotics technologies that are the foundation of every advanced manufacturing activity today and in the future. For example, the ARM Institute seeks to leverage these technologies to improve US manufacturing in terms of:
Flexibility – able to be economically productive at high-mix and low-volume ratios,
Agility – able to respond to new goals and market requests, and
Robustness – able to withstand changes in the supply chain, as well as the ability to take advantage of them.
The Institute pursues its mission on three developmental fronts:
Ecosystem – convening and leveraging a nationwide consortium of 400 member organizations that consist of: manufacturers of all sizes, research institutions, government agencies and non-profits, suppliers, vendors, and integrators, academia, and standards bodies,
Technology – lowering barriers to the adoption of AI, robotics, and advanced technologies by channeling over $120M of investment from the DoD and other government agencies into over 120 manufacturing technology and workforce development projects, and in helping companies develop strategies by which they can adopt and leverage such technologies, and
Education & Workforce Development – expanding the manufacturing robotics workforce with new and better career pathways, helping the US manufacturing workforce find training and careers in advanced manufacturing, and helping US manufacturers find qualified workers.
This presentation will provide an update on the ARM Institute’s manufacturing technology development programs and how attendees of the conference can potentially participate in them. It will target an audience of company executives and those with the power to enact improvements in their manufacturing processes. Conference themes with which it will resonate are: digital transformation, edge computing, digital models, production optimization, facility & industrial site monitoring, AI & robotics, network integration & connected environments, IIOT & smart manufacturing, barriers to adoption & lessons learned, and policy.