IHMC breaks ground on 30,000-square-foot expansion

Senior research scientist Jerry Pratt is excited about the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition's new $8 million expansion.

He and his 24-person team work on humanoid robotics, exoskeletons and other IHMC projects at a warehouse at the corner of Tarragona and East Wright Streets in downtown Pensacola.

When the new 30,000-square-foot expansion of the IHMC's 40 South Alcaniz Street headquarters is completed in spring 2016, it will house all 100 Pensacola-based IHMC employees who are currently spread out over four downtown locations. Another 20 employees are based out of Ocala.

"The new building is going to be phenomenal," Pratt said, describing a re-configurable lab featuring an overhead hoist system that will support walking robots. "It will be nice to be amongst everybody else."

Pratt was among the many IHMC researchers, scientists, and support staff frequently praised during Monday morning's sunny and warm groundbreaking ceremony.

"This will give us space to hire more people," said founder and CEO Kenneth Ford. He is most excited about a glass wall on the second floor that will allow visitors, including school groups, to look down on the first-floor robotics lab. "It will provide an optimal observation point without disturbing the research below."

More than 800 visitors toured the IHMC during National Robotics Week in 2014, Pratt said.

Speakers like Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Rep. Clay Ingram, and Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson praised the IHMC's research and described it as a beacon of bringing high-paying and highly-skilled jobs to the area.

"One day, people will talk about this event and what it meant to the future of Northwest Florida," Robinson said.

Karl Blischke, director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's Division of Strategic Business Development, spoke about the state's resurgence in economic indicators such as unemployment rates, job growth rates and tourism over the past four years.

"Efforts like IHMC research and the expansion of your facility contribute to the Florida turnaround story," he said, also mentioning Avalex Technologies, AppRiver, and the military bases as key pieces of the state's post-recession resurgence. "Pensacola is leading the charge in so many areas."

Although construction began in mid-January, the official ground-breaking ceremony was held Monday to coincide with the IHMC's board of directors meeting.