The next Annual Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) Membership Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, August 26, 2010 in Denver, CO.  RTC members should register by COB on Friday, August 20, 2010. According to the RTC Bylaws to remain a “member in good standing” you must attend at least one (1) of the two (2) membership meetings held each year.

The RTC is a non-profit, industry organization administered by NCMS and was formed in 2008 to speed the development and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Department of Defense (DoD).  The RTC has over 200 members made up of large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations and seeks to engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.

Please visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/

Jeff Burnstein weighs in with a great guest commentary on the how U.S. Manufacturers benefit from industrial robots.

...With unemployment at about 14 percent or higher in Michigan, it's not surprising some workers are afraid of robots capable of working seven days a week, 24 hours a day with great accuracy and reliability, capable of performing many tasks better than people.

That fear, so prevalent in the early days of robotics, today is misplaced. What should really give workers pause is when their companies won't use robots and other automated technologies to become stronger global competitors.

U.S. technology and business innovators recognize that robots in factories have the potential to save and create more jobs than they eliminate. Robots help companies turn out higher-quality and lower-cost goods to compete with those made in China, Mexico, India, or other low-wage nations. They remove people from dangerous and boring jobs they shouldn't have been doing in the first place, and put them in higher-skilled, higher-paying positions.

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The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) today announced that the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) has been named to the Advisory Committee to the Congressional Robotics Caucus. 

The Caucus focuses on key issues facing the nation's traditional industrial robotics industry as well as issues critical to growing companies, markets, and industries based on recent technological advances that enable robots to perform functions beyond traditional assembly line tasks and to operate in environments beyond the factory floor.  As part of the Advisory Committee, the RTC will help Congress understand the many challenges and issues likely to emerge in the robotics sector and help ensure that the United States can maintain global leadership as the robotics industry undergoes considerable expansion in the coming decades.

“RTC member companies represent a wide variety of industrial sectors and are leaders in developing the next generation of robotics systems,” said NCMS President and RTC Chairman Rick Jarman.  “The Congressional Caucus on Robotics will benefit from these companies’ insights and perspectives and will help Congress ensure that our nation remains globally competitive as the robotics industry rapidly expands and develops.”

The RTC is a non-profit, industry organization administered by NCMS and was formed in 2008 to speed the development and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Department of Defense (DoD).  The RTC has over 200 members made up of large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations and seeks to engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.

“We look forward to working with members of Congress who understand how important robotics is to our national interests,” said Helen Greiner, President of the RTC. “A thriving robotics and unmanned systems sector is vital to maintaining both our global economic competitiveness and national security.”

The Congressional Robotics Caucus, chaired by Congressman Mike Doyle (PA) and co-chaired by Congressman Phil Gingrey (GA), was formed in 2007 to focus on key issues facing the nation's robotics industry and related emerging technology. Members of Congress will learn first hand about the use of robotics in agriculture, mining, logistics, defense, education, manufacturing and healthcare.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has 24 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.

For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org

About RTC

The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization created in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. The consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE). The RTC currently has a membership of 200 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.

For more information, visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/

Ann Arbor, MI., May 4, 2010 – The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) today announced the appointment of Tony Melita to the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) Board of Directors. The RTC is administered by NCMS and was formed in 2008 to speed the development and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Department of Defense (DoD).

Tony Melita is an internationally recognized expert in munitions and land warfare systems acquisition. Given a history of over 31- years of service with the U.S. Department of Defense, he has a long track record of shaping successful defense acquisition programs and for developing strong relationships between government and industry.

“We are honored that Tony Melita has agreed to serve as a Director to the RTC” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO and Chairman of the RTC Board, “His expertise will continue to assist the RTC in speeding the process of getting innovative new technologies to the warfighter in the field.”

Mr. Melita has had various assignments as a civilian with DoD -- ranging from hands-on technology development to serving as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, and concluding as the Director for Land Warfare and Munitions within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.

He has overseen a wide variety of weapons programs from the vertical integration of warheads, explosives, and fuze technologies into munitions systems, to the development and acquisition of all Land Combat systems including Army and Marine Corps tracked and wheeled vehicles and rotary wing aviation systems and programs.

“Mr. Melita has been an advocate of the RTC since its inception” said Helen Greiner, President of the RTC, “His knowledge of the importance and use of ground robotics in the Department of Defense, will help the industry continue to excel in its partnership with the government.”

Universities, Research Labs, and Companies Innovate to Develop Future Ground Vehicle Technologies

Ann Arbor, MI., April 22, 2010 – The Robotics Technology Consortium, Inc. (RTC) today announced that the Government has awarded 19 projects funding totaling $7 Million. These teams will undertake the research required to further develop innovative technologies that add capabilities to currently deployed unmanned ground vehicles and enhance future unmanned ground systems.

The winning team leads and projects are:

• Vecna Corporation – “Advanced Hydraulic Actuation”
• Autonomous Solutions, Inc. – “Long Range Obstacle Detection”
• Carnegie Mellon University – “Online Long Range Obstacle Detection with Fused LADAR and Imagery”
• SET Corporation – “Long Range Obstacle Detection”
• Pelican Mapping – “3D Scene and Model Visualization”
• RE2, Inc. – “Conformal Robotic Hand”
• Carnegie Mellon University – “Generic Aided INS for Small UGVs”
• University of Michigan – “Heuristics-enhanced Dead-reckoning System for Small Robot Navigation”
• Think-A-Move, Ltd – “Speech Signature Based Biometric Security”
• Carnegie Mellon University – “Robotic Evaluation of Tunnel Mapping and Navigation Sensors”
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – “Counter Tunnel Mapping and Characterization”
• Foster-Miller, Inc. – “Remote Checkpoint”
• HDT Engineering Services, Inc. – “HDT Highly Dexterous Manipulator System”
• Sarnoff Corporation – “Multi-sensor Fusion for Reliable On-the-Move Pedestrian Detection and Tracking”
• General Dynamics Robotics Systems, Inc. – “Ground Vehicle Sensor Suite (GVSS)”
• Innovative Technical Solutions Inc. dba NovaSol – “UGV Lasercomm Interrogator”
• Sarnoff Corporation – “3D Friend and Foe Detection”
• TORC Technologies – “Robotic Building Blocks for Unmanned and Autonomous Systems”
• Carnegie Mellon University – “Advanced Command and Control for High Speed Tele-Operation"

In May 2008, the RTC entered into a $170M Other Transactions Agreement (OTA) with the Department of Defense to better enable nontraditional defense contractors to undertake technical projects on behalf of the Government. Since then, the Government has awarded a total of 37 projects, worth $17M involving 47 member companies, universities, and non-profit organizations.

"The RTC model has shown the ability to stimulate innovation, encourage teaming, and get vital research projects under contract quickly" said Mr. Jose Gonzalez, Acting Director, Land Warfare and Munitions, "Because of these successes, it is being looked at as a model for other industries".

Membership to the Robotics Technology Consortium is open to US based companies, non-profits, and universities.

About Robotics Technology Consortium

The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization created in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. The consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE). The RTC currently has a membership of 200 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.

For more information, visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has nearly 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.

For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org.

Please stop in at Booth 217 at the NDIA Conference on March 16-18 in Miami, Florida to learn more about RTC and NCMS.

2010 Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference and Exhibition- Dual Role of Robotics Technologies-Public and Private Sector"

The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization formed in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. Administered by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), the consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE) and currently has a membership of over 200 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.For more information, visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) joins NCMS radio to discuss a wide range of Manufacturing issues.

Topics include robotics, innovation, alternative energy, the smart grid, jobs, and strategies to promote manufacturing growth in the new millennium.

NCMS Radio- “Manufacturing in the New Millenium ”- U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) (16:13)



Subscribe to NCMS Radio on iTunes- search for NCMS.

The second annual member meeting of the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is being held today in Sterling Heights, MI in coordination with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research and Development Engineering Center (TARDEC). The meeting will include notable speakers such as Dr. Grace Bochenek, Director of TARDEC and Dr. Jim Overholt, Director of the Joint Center for Robotics at TARDEC as well as a tour of their impressive facility in Warren, MI.

Formed in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology, the RTC has doubled its membership from 88 to 178 members in the first year.  Working closely with the Department of Defense, the RTC helps to match technology concepts with military priorities and then informs and engages industry to develop those technologies, all in record time from RPP to award.  Using this successful formula, the RTC has funded 17 technology proposals since 2008.

The RTC and the NCMS take pride in the rapid growth and progress of the consortium and its distinguished membership which includes companies such as iRobot, Carnegie Mellon University, Boeing and Lockheed Martin as well as its ability to engage smaller companies with big ideas, those of which make up over 70% of the current membership.  This unique membership base enables partnerships and problem solving between government and industry, in ways which further the technology of ground robotics at an unprecedented rate.

“NCMS has put their extensive resources behind the RTC,” said Helen Greiner, RTC President.  “They are an excellent interface for private industry to government and have established a communication forum for the industry, in addition to helping establish the RTC brand identity.”

Located in Ann Arbor, MI, The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the administrative agent and government interface to the RTC. “The NCMS worked directly with the robotics industry to form the RTC in 2008,” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO and Chairman of the RTC. “We used our experience of over 23 years in collaborations to help drive the success of this consortium to its impressive status today.”

Membership in the RTC is open to U.S. companies, academia and non-profits operating within the robotics industry.  Information and an application for membership can be found on the RTC website at www.roboticstechc.org or by calling (734) 995-3098.

About RTC

The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization formed in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. Administered by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), the consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE) and currently has a membership of over 178 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.For more information, visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS is the administrative agent for the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) and has over 23 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org

Universities, Research Labs, and Companies Create Ground Vehicle Technologies

Ann Arbor, MI., September 2, 2009 – The Robotics Technology Consortium, Inc. (RTC) today announced that the Government has awarded nine winners of its second round of projects totaling $3.62 million.  These teams will undertake the research required to further develop innovative technologies that add capabilities to the currently deployed unmanned ground vehicle and enable future unmanned ground systems.

The winning team leads and projects are:

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory -  “Autonomous Stair Climbing for Portable  Unmanned Ground Vehicles”
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - “Fast 3D Reconstruction and Visualization for Explosive Ordnance Disposal for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (EOD for UGVs)”
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) -  “Rapid 3D Object Visualization for Mobile Robots”
• Photon-X -  “Miniature 3D Spatial Phase Sensors”
• Vecna Corporation - “Automated Tool Change”
• AnthroTronix, Inc. - “Instrumented Glove-Based System (iGlove-3) for Controlling High-DOF Manipulators”
• General Dynamics Robotic Systems - “Untitled Proposal”
• TORC Technologies - “Autonomous Remote Control HMMWV (ARCH)”
• iRobot Corporation - “Autonomous: Supervisory Control with Enhanced Situational Awareness”

In May 2008, the RTC entered into a $170M Other Transactions Agreement (OTA) with the Department of Defense to better enable non-traditional defense contractors to undertake technical projects on behalf of the Government.  Since then, the Government has awarded a total of 16 projects, worth $8,371,882.00 involving 35 member companies (15 non-traditional), universities, and non-profit organizations.

"Winners in this second round of funding includes universities, research labs, and companies,” said Ellen Purdy, Enterprise Director, OSD/Joint Ground Robotics. “It is great to see the entire community working together to advance the field and get technology into the hands of our warfighters.”

“It took only 107 days from the request for project proposals posting on our web pages to having the entire set of winners under contract”, said Helen Greiner the elected President of the RTC, “and we are very proud of our ability to support small research efforts rapidly and cost-effectively.”

Membership to the Robotics Technology Consortium is open to U.S. based companies, non-profits, and universities.

For more information please contact:

Phil Callihan, philc@ncms.org, (734)995-2046.

About Robotics Technology Consortium

The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization created in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. The consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE).  The RTC currently has a membership of over 160 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.

For more information, visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in Ann Arbor Michigan is the largest cross-industry collaborative R&D consortium in North America. NCMS has a 23-year track record in the management of complex, collaborative programs which deliver innovative manufacturing technology to market faster than traditional methods.  The RTC was formed as a non-profit, supporting organization of NCMS, who also serves as the RTC administrative agent.

For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org.

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