Going where no man (or women) would want to go,
RedZone Robotics has carved a successful niche for itself as inspectors of the nation's sewer systems.
Named for ubiquitous Carnegie Mellon University robotics genius Red Whittaker who started the company in 1987, the company has moved from Homestead to a new, larger 13,000 square foot facility in The Chocolate Factory in Lawrenceville and is increasing its engineering staff.
The company was originally founded to inspect nuclear accident sites like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. When that business dropped off, the company hired CEO Eric Close to find an application for its innovative technology and refocus the company.
With more than 1.2 million miles of water and sewer pipeline in the U.S., much of which has exceeded its expected lifespan, municipalities everywhere want to understand where their waste water infrastructures may be at risk for failure. RedZone's digital Responder provides municipalities with inspections and assessments of large diameter pipes. It's called "trenchless technology;" the robotic technology minimizes the need for excavation, a more sustainable approach, while providing highly reliable data.
"Our success at RedZone is evidence that the commercialization of robotic technology is really starting to take off," says Close. "As we grow it's great to know that we need to look no further than our own back yard for talented robotic engineers. There's no better place in the world to grow a robotics company than Pittsburgh."
RedZone plans to have additional delivery capacity in place by the summer of 2008 while its R&D team is on target to introduce a new inspection technology in the fall.
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Greg Kaminski, Brian Zolkos, Eric Close, RedZone Robotics
Image courtesy RedZone