April 12, 2022
The Texas-based robotics company chose Pittsburgh for its university adjacency and talent.
Plus One Robotics, a nationally recognized robotics company, has chosen Pittsburgh Innovation District for its newest expansion. The company will begin operating from Avenu: Meyran in Oakland in May 2022.
“Pittsburgh Innovation District is home to not one but two of the top-100 colleges in the United States. Being close to other startups in the District, plus Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, was very important for us so we can situate ourselves in that high-energy, relevant, forward-looking and optimistic environment,” says Bener Suay, senior developer for Plus One Robotics. “Our company is future-focused, industry-leading, and deeply knowledgeable in our field. We feel that these pillars are very much aligned with our neighbors in the Pittsburgh Innovation District.”
Plus One Robotics makes vision software for logistics robots. The company gives robots the eye-hand coordination to pick and place objects in warehouses and distribution centers using 3D and AI-powered perception, so robots become smarter over time. Recently, Plus One Robotics has been improving their vision software to address issues in robotic depalletization and has leaned on the Pittsburgh team to improve quality of their detectors.
Plus One Robotics’ selection of Pittsburgh Innovation District as its home is a major demonstration of what the District is doing to attract national talent.
“As someone with experience in material handling robots, I have a great deal of respect for Plus One Robotics. Having them come to Pittsburgh is a big deal – and we welcome them to the community,” says Joel Reed, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network. “Pittsburgh is a world leader in research, innovation and commercial development for the robotics industry and is increasingly becoming the place to be if you’re developing AI-driven autonomous and robotics solutions.”
According to Suay and his colleague Senior Engineer Nick DePalma, one of the driving forces for Plus One Robotics’ move to Pittsburgh was the opening of Avenu Workspaces’ Meyran location.
“What excites me the most about Avenu: Meyran is the convenience it provides for interacting with other community members and the Oakland neighborhood in general. This includes other startups, local stores, college campuses, college students, researchers, and other professionals who work in the vicinity. I am looking forward to getting to know people, introducing Plus One Robotics to the community as we interact with people on a daily basis, and hearing about other businesses, researchers, engineers, and startups from all backgrounds,” Suay said.
As Plus One Robotics opens its Pittsburgh office, the company’s future goals are centered on hiring talent.
“Within the next 1-3 years, we hope to see our company grow its customer, application, and employee footprint. We are working tirelessly on solving critical problems in warehouses and distribution centers. We hope to see our efforts scale, hire more talent, and augment our customers’ capacity to achieve more picks per day,” Suay said.
Plus One Robotics is the newest company to join Avenu Workspaces, the expanding coworking platform inside the Pittsburgh Innovation District. Avenu is a hub for entrepreneurs, recent graduates, and anyone pursuing innovation and technology work. For more about working at Avenu, please visit: avenuworkspaces.com.