WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026--
In a move to strengthen long-term manufacturing productivity, U.S. government officials asked the robotics industry to organize and deliver a unified plan to mobilize automation across America. On May 8th, industry leaders did exactly that. Robots for America (RFA) launched as a national industry coalition at the SCSP AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C., bringing together founding members and key stakeholders to release a coordinated policy platform.
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Robots for America Founding Members at AI+ Expo panel discussion, "Robots for America: Driving American Industry Forward." From left to right: Micah Murphy (New American Industrial Alliance), Nick Ayala (GrayMatter Robotics), Edward Mehr (Machina Labs), Dean Banks (Formic).
The coalition was formed at the direct request of officials from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Senate, who called on leading robotics companies to organize and propose a practical industry response to the country's manufacturing competitiveness gap. The founding members answered the call.
Founding members of Robots for America include: Formic, New American Industrial Alliance, Machina Labs, Standard Bots, Robot.com, Dexterity, Medra, Path Robotics, AMP Sortation, Chef Robotics, GrayMatter Robotics, Mytra, Mujin, MFR.IO, CreateMe, Viam, and the Digital Manufacturing & Cybersecurity Institute. The full membership list is available at robotsforamerica.org/members.
“The U.S. has every ingredient it needs to lead the next era of manufacturing,” Saman Farid, CEO of Formic and Robots for America Founding Member, said. “The companies, the technology, the facilities are all here. What has been missing is a coordinated policy framework that removes the real barriers standing between American manufacturers and the automation they need. That is what Robots for America exists to build.”
This Action Can’t Wait
American manufacturers are under real pressure, and the window to act is narrowing. Labor availability is shrinking. Operating costs are rising. Global competitors have spent decades building coordinated national strategies around automation and industrial production. At the same time, U.S. manufacturers have largely been left to navigate the landscape on their own.
Physical AI has created an inflection point. Capabilities that were out of reach just years ago are now deployable on real factory floors, and the pace of what's possible is accelerating.
Small and mid-size manufacturers, which form the backbone of American production, are the ones feeling it most. They do not have the capital to acquire and deploy automation, the runway to endure long implementation lead times, the training needed to overcome the steep learning curve of making automation effective in-house, or the political representation to influence the policies that govern them. RFA exists to change all three.
The coalition brings practitioners to the table: companies and organizations with direct, on-the-ground experience deploying robots in U.S. facilities today, not legacy trade associations protecting existing market positions. Their firsthand expertise is the foundation for everything RFA takes to policymakers and the media.
From the May 8th Launch at AI+ Expo
The session was led by the New American Industrial Alliance and Dean Banks, Executive Director of Robots for America. Founding members spoke directly about the stakes and what it will take to move U.S. manufacturing forward.
“It is time for the government to step into the supply chain and set requirements for what manufacturing looks like in 10 to 20 years,” Edward Mehr, Founder and CEO of Machina Labs, said. “To say: I want manufacturing to be flexible, adoptable, deployable. They need to start thinking about what type of manufacturing we need in the future.”
“The days of being okay with missed deadlines are over,” Nick Ayala, Director of Strategy and Operations at GrayMatter Robotics, said.
Policy Framework for American Robotics Supremacy
Robots for America’s core premise is straightforward: American robotics leadership is won on the factory floor, not in policy papers. Adoption at scale is the goal, and removing the barriers that have slowed it is the work.
RFA’s initial policy framework targets five areas where federal action can drive near-term impact: lowering the financial risk of robotic trials, modernizing how automation is treated under the tax code, streamlining permitting and regulatory approvals, building the workforce needed to support deployment, and enabling autonomous logistics across the supply chain. The full framework is available at robotsforamerica.org.
Looking Ahead: 2026 to 2028
Over the next three years, Robots for America will focus on establishing robotics as a recognized pillar of U.S. industrial policy, creating real representation for American factory operators in Washington, changing the public conversation around automation from fear to facts, and opening access to automation technology for the mid-market manufacturers who need it most.
The coalition is currently forming steering committees across policy, technology, narrative, and operations, and is actively welcoming new founding members, manufacturing members, and advisors. More information is available at robotsforamerica.org.
About Robots for America
Robots for America is a national coalition of robotics and AI companies, manufacturers, and industry leaders working to expand American production, strengthen American jobs, and position the United States to win the global industrial race. The coalition was organized at the request of U.S. government officials and serves as a direct line between the companies deploying automation on U.S. factory floors and the policymakers shaping the rules around it. For more information, visit robotsforamerica.org.
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Media Contact
Brooklyn Kiosow
Director of Communications & Engagement, Robots for America
bkiosow@robotsforamerica.org