This is part of a series giving you an insider’s view of the products coming out of Pittsburgh to change the world. Forty investors converged on Pittsburgh on Thursday, Sept. 26, to learn about investment opportunities in 18 companies that are making big strides in usable artificial intelligence and robotics.  The investors, many of whom traveled to Pittsburgh from around the country, attended the sold-out AI & Robotics Venture Fair that Carnegie Mellon University and Innovation Works have been presenting for seven years.  After COVID forced the Venture Fair to go virtual (and then one year in a Downtown hotel), it returned to CMU this year, showcasing some companies that were fair veterans and several newcomers.Jordan Marinkovich, platform community manager at Innovation Works, said more seed or pre-seed round companies presented at the event than ever before – five out of the 18. Eight of the presenting companies have participated in the federal Build Back Better program.We took a look at the traction gained by two of last year’s participating companies and one newcomer.Ven Raju, President and CEO of Innovation Works, speaks to attendees at this year’s AI & Robotics Venture Fair on Thursday, Sept. 26., at Carnegie Mellon University’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. Photo by David Radin.The road less traveled (so far)At last year’s Venture Fair, we learned about Velo.AI, a company founded by Clark Haynes, previously a team lead at both Uber and Aurora, companies that led the charge into autonomous transportation.  Haynes and his Velo.AI team were just putting the finishing touches on his first products to help bicyclists navigate streets safely alongside cars, trucks and other dangers. Called Copilot, Haynes’ product is a hardware/software combination that fits snugly beneath a bike’s saddle and uses visual and audible feedback to alert the rider.A secret sauce of Copilot is that it collects data related to the ride itself, which provides a treasure trove of information to help city planners make decisions regarding bike routes.A year later, Haynes again presented at the AI & Robotics Venture Fair; but this year, his company has already started to prove its concept. Last summer, the company produced 100 units to fit on bicycles, which sold out quickly.  From that small production run, they created a partnership with the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, which used the units to show how their technology could be applied to urban planning.  They have been awarded a federal SBIR Phase 1 grant for $200,000. This grant is funding a study Velo.AI is conducting with the City of Pittsburgh and local bike share company POGOH to imbed his devices in rental bikes to collect additional data.  Haynes hopes to be awarded a Phase 2 grant of $1.2 million to expand to 10 more cities.Although he’s not currently raising capital, he presented this year at the Venture Fair to stay in front of the venture community as he readies a larger production run of Copilot devices to be shipped on time for the 2025 summer bicycling season.Haptic sensors enable the Fluid Reality glove to more accurately simulate real-world touch in virtual reality. Image courtesy of Fluid Reality.Moving into Fast CompanyWe also met Joe Mullenbach, founder of Fluid Reality, at last year’s Venture Fair. He was creating what he called “the future of touch” – a first-of-its-kind glove with a large array of “haptic feedback actuators,” pin-sized bumps that can simulate touch.Mullenbach was already starting to show unique applications, such as people playing virtual violins while actually feeling the strings and simulations in which they can pick up virtual objects and sense their shape and other attributes while interacting with the models.He presented in this year’s show as he looks to raise a seed round of $3.5 million from attendees.This time he has various new proofs of concept under his belt. It also won’t hurt that Fluid Reality became Fast Company Innovation by Designee Honoree in 2024. Building habitats for harsh environmentsFor most of the 18 companies at the 2024 Venture Fair, it’s the first time presenting.For Bruce Kraselsky of X-Hab3D, it’s a chance to show off his mobile 3D printing technology that can build buildings.A serial entrepreneur out of Vienna, Va., Kraselsky previously headed a satellite broadband company and a rocket company funded by the state of Alaska.  Having proven he can tackle difficult problems, Kraselsky was asked by Alaska’s head of economic development to help with the challenges of living in Alaska, where skilled labor is in short supply, construction costs are high and structures need to withstand a harsh environment.So Kraselsky ran a business feasibility study, which led him to Penn State University, where a team of professors and graduate students had won a competition for NASA seeking to create a 3D printed habitat for life on Mars.He partnered with the university, which had just formed an additive construction laboratory to focus on developing 3D concrete printing tech.Initially funded by the federal Denali funds, the team created a mobile robotic platform that could create buildings from concrete using 3D printing. Unlike previous products that require scaffolding, cranes, large plots of land and significant setup time, X-Hab3D’s mobile platform can be rolled onto a construction site, build the building, then roll back out – perfect for the type of environment in the Alaskan wilderness.Now in beta – not quite ready to release – the products have already been sold to the U.S. Department of Defense and other clients; the company is looking to ramp into full-scale commercial production. There are plans for a plant to be built in the State College area.Kraselsky has already raised 40% of the $4 million he seeks to build that plant – giving him a ready audience at the Venture Fair. He’s also hoping to forge relationships with other local universities.Know of a product or service being developed in Pittsburgh or by a Pittsburgh-based company that is cool, is creating growth or will change the world? Let David know via email.The post Local companies make their cases at AI & Robotics Venture Fair appeared first on NEXTpittsburgh.