INPERSON
THE FUTURE
IS NOW
Dr . Tom Galluzzo and his team at IAM Robotics in Sewickley receive the Information Technology Award from Carnegie Science Center .
BY NICOLE TAFE
Dr . Tom Galluzzo , CEO of IAM Robotics in Sewickley , and his team are enhancing the fields of robotics and automation technology day after day with the development of the world ’ s first fully autonomous , mobile material-handling robot .
Galluzzo and his wife , Shelly , have three kids — Abby , 8 , Alexander , 6 , and Ella , 2 — and have lived in Gibsonia for three years . Galluzzo grew up in Williamsville , New York , and attended college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , where he earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering . He later went on to graduate school at the University of Florida where he earned a PhD in robotics .
Galluzzo started IAM Robotics after working at Carnegie Mellon in the National Robotics Engineering Center ( NREC ). He founded the company with Vladimir Altman , who was a colleague at NREC .
“ I was involved with all aspects of starting the company ,” says Galluzzo . “ Early on , my focus was on computer vision and artificial intelligence software that allows our robots to see their way around a warehouse . Our robots are designed to drive around e-commerce facilities , and they pick products that are sitting on a shelf , so the products can then be packed and shipped .”
His company is a leader in the field of robotic technology for the logistics industry . By combining perception , manipulation and mobility technologies , IAM Robotics has created a gamechanging solution for the logistics industry that addresses a growing labor problem by automating tasks that are difficult to staff . Forbes and Modern Materials Handling magazines have recognized IAM Robotics ’ technology as one of today ’ s most exciting innovations in logistics .
Galluzzo was recently awarded the Information Technology Award , sponsored by Pittsburgh Business Times , by the Carnegie Science Center . “ Specifically , my award was for developing Swift — our main product at IAM Robotics ,” he notes . “ I received a plaque that I now keep on my desk . It ’ s nice to be recognized for the hard work and effort that my team and I at IAM Robotics have put into our company .”
Galluzzo and his team are always looking toward the future with plans to continue to enhance current and future industries . “ These accomplishments in robotics are extremely important because of the growing manual labor crisis in industry ,” explains Galluzzo . “ As more and more people are educated in STEM and more Baby Boomers retire , industry is being left with a huge labor gap . Automation technologies and robotics are really important to help sustain productivity being lost to unavailable labor . This issue is growing both here in the U . S . and abroad .” n
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