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Robot City prepares last historic riverfront parcel for future |
| on 22-08-2007 16:42 |
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 An
innovative laboratory has emerged on the city’s last riverfront
parcel, a 178-acre brownfield, formerly the LTVF Hazelwood steel site,
west of Hot Metal Bridge and the birthplace of the modern steel mill.
While
city leaders and developers mull the possibility of more R&D
development west along the river, Carnegie Mellon University has leased
the property as a lab space for robotics testing. Dubbed Robot City,
the Tartan Racing Team now practices there for the DARPA Urban
Challenge, a race of autonomous robot vehicles sponsored by the U.S.
Dept. of Defense.
Helping to turn the brownfield green, CMU
grads calling themselves Growth Through Energy and Community Health
(GTECH) have planted switchgrass as part of a new biofuel company.
William
“Red” Whittaker, Fredkin Research Professor at CMU’s Robotics
Institute, oversees the activities, developing Robot City into a unique
laboratory that uses a robotic labor force of lawn mowers and land
movers to green the site, bring what the future may.
“It’s a
very special situation,” says Whittaker. Robot City encourages all
students from urban design to engineering to participate. “It’s really
everybody’s vision and opportunity. This site is the real urban
challenge. Students are generating the energy to make it happen.”
The
property was purchased in 2002 by a nonprofit partnership, ALMONO,
formed by the Regional Industrial Development Corp. (RIDC), and The
Heinz Endowments and Richard King Mellon, Benedum and McCune
foundations for $10 million. A final master plan for the site is in
progress, says Bill Widdoes, RIDC project coordinator.
“It’s a
bit fanciful that the site is the birthplace of the modern steel mill."
he says. "Wouldn’t it be great if it could become the birthplace of the
industry that is going to take Pittsburgh into the 21st Century? Maybe
robots will be manufactured there someday.”
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Red Whittaker, CMU, Bill Widdoes, RIDC
Image courtesy of the Robotics Institute of CMU
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