Does the West Coast have as much to offer as the East Coast when it comes to robotics?

There are already several key robotics centers in the United States. Arguably, the two largest are near major research universities, such as around Boston – near MIT – and in Pittsburgh – near Carnegie Mellon University.

Industry analysts say robotics in California’s Silicon Valley is not as advanced as the dual locations on the East Coast.

Silicon Valley was “overlooked in some ways as being a center for robotics,” Rich Mahoney, director of Robotics at SRI International, told Getrobo.com.

“There was so much other activity going on here … that robotics was lost relative to all the other things,” he added.

But the resources are there to make the region into a major center, Mahoney contends. The Silicon Valley region is home to Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley.

Silicon Valley has “world class university research, breakthrough companies, informed venture investors, and unique organizations aligned with the entrepreneurial culture,” according to Getrobo.com.

And there have been some achievements in the robotics field in Silicon Valley. But there is a way to go, GetRobo.com said.

So SRI International, Adept Technology and Willow Garage started Silicon Valley Robotics (SVR) – an organization which represents the robotics industry.  It now has some 40 organizations among its members.

Robotic cars are off the drawing board and finding their way into the real world. Both Nevada and California are opening up roads for testing of autonomous vehicles. Clearly there are many aspects of car transportation that would be impacted if these became the norm, including traffic laws, cheap car insurance and highway safety, to name just a few.

SVR wants to see innovation in robotics and find commercial applications. SVR has already held networking sessions on commercial applications, according to information posted on the organization’s website.

For example, SVR held an event in January 2010. Participants during the meeting discussed robotics in Silicon Valley, and the benefits of creating a robotics cluster, such as the ones in Boston and Pittsburgh.

SVR wants to “nurture” the robotics sector in the Valley and to “create an environment where other companies would want to come here and start up,” Mahoney adds.

There are also start-ups in the robotics field in Silicon Valley. For example, Neato Robotics is a start-up that is building robots that can perform tasks around a house much like a human being, according to TMCnet.

To increase investment in the industry, SVR wants to hold an “investor forum” with venture capitalists attending.

And during the recent National Robotics Week, SVR sponsored a robot “block party” at Stanford University.

In addition, SVR works with organizations in other regions, and presents the industry’s case to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on such topics as: regulations, immigration and liability.

“As an outsider coming in, I find Silicon Valley a remarkable place with an aura, a concentration of technical know-how combined with an innovative spirit. I have no doubt that once the dots get connected, that things will happen quickly,” Mahoney said.
Ed Silverstein is a TMCnet contributor. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.