Pittsburgh Robotics Network appoints new board members

The Pittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN) has announced new board and executive officer changes, marking a new phase for the nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting innovation and growth in the robotics cluster in southwestern Pennsylvania. The announcement added Jorgen Pedersen as new board chair and Stephen Muck as new board secretary.

New official takes office

PRN's new chairman, Jorgen Pedersen, brings decades of experience in the robotics industry. As founder and CEO of RE2 Robotics, he successfully developed the startup into a well-known company in the field of mobile manipulation. In addition, he also served as a robotics entrepreneur at Sinovation Robotics, providing guidance for the growth and scale-up of robotics companies. Pedersen's joining has injected more industry expertise and experience into PRN, providing a solid foundation for the future development of the organization.

The new board secretary, Stephen Mook, also has extensive experience in the construction and robotics industries. He has accumulated more than 30 years of experience in various fields, established partnerships with world-class robotics experts and innovative business teams, and is committed to commercializing robotic products in the construction industry. Mook's joining PRN has injected more commercial and market-oriented perspectives into PRN, which is expected to promote the commercial development of the Pittsburgh robotics ecosystem.

PRN's Vision

Led by Executive Director Jennifer Apicella, PRN is dedicated to advancing Pittsburgh's position as one of the top commercial robotics clusters in the world. As a nonprofit organization, PRN not only fosters innovation and development in robotics, but also serves as a catalyst for robotics growth in the Pittsburgh region by expanding local and global public-private partnerships to accelerate commercial growth and adoption of autonomous systems.

In this new era, data-driven approaches and the pursuit of excellence are key to PRN's development. As an important player in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, Pittsburgh has an important mission to contribute to innovation and progress in the global society. Therefore, PRN will continue to be committed to providing more value to its members, helping them expand their businesses, and further developing Pittsburgh's robotics ecosystem.

Pittsburgh: A hub for robots and AI

Pittsburgh is not only the headquarters of PRN, but also a global pioneer in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. Since the 1950s, Carnegie Mellon University has been a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, providing valuable support and talent training for robotics and artificial intelligence projects around the world.

Pittsburgh is home to many top robotics companies, including Aurora, Carnegie Robotics, Caterpillar, Gecko Robotics, Seegrid, and Smith+Nephew. The innovations of these companies not only affect multiple fields such as construction, defense, and energy, but also promote Pittsburgh to become the center of the global commercialization of autonomous mobile systems.

Additionally, the Pittsburgh region was one of the recipients of a federal Build Back Better Challenge grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, further advancing the robotics industry by investing in new technologies, improving worker skills, and accelerating commercialization.

As one of the important birthplaces of robotics and artificial intelligence, Pittsburgh is not only an incubator for technology and digital transformation , but also a source of vitality for global innovation. Under the leadership of the new leadership, PRN will continue to be committed to promoting innovation and growth in robotics technology, injecting new vitality and momentum into the robotics ecosystem in Pittsburgh and around the world.