Robots for America Coalition Launches to Push U.S. Robotics Policy

A coalition of robotics and automation companies launched Robots for America as a national industry group focused on advancing federal policy to support robotics deployment across U.S. manufacturing and supply chains. The announcement came on May 8, 2026, at the SCSP AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C.

The coalition formed following direct requests from officials at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Senate. Government officials asked the robotics industry to organize around a unified policy agenda for automation deployment. The official press release details the full membership roster and policy framework.

Founding members include Formic, Machina Labs, Standard Bots, Dexterity, Path Robotics, Chef Robotics, GrayMatter Robotics, Mytra, Mujin, Viam, and the Digital Manufacturing & Cybersecurity Institute, among others. This isn't a legacy trade association protecting existing market positions. The membership consists of companies with direct, on-the-ground experience deploying robots in U.S. facilities today.

Saman Farid, CEO of Formic and Robots for America founding member, stated the U.S. has every ingredient needed to lead the next era of manufacturing. The companies, technology, and 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.

The coalition's initial policy framework targets five areas where federal action can drive near-term impact. First, lowering the financial risk of robotic trials. Second, modernizing how automation is treated under the tax code. Third, streamlining permitting and regulatory approvals. Fourth, building the workforce needed to support deployment. Fifth, enabling autonomous logistics across the supply chain. (These are the exact same barriers that have kept automation stuck in pilot programs for years.)

Small and mid-size manufacturers form the backbone of American production. 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.

Physical AI has created an inflection point. Capabilities that were out of reach just years ago are now deployable on real factory floors. The pace of what's possible is accelerating. 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.

Edward Mehr, founder and CEO of Machina Labs, argued 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. 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.

Nick Ayala, director of strategy and operations at GrayMatter Robotics, noted manufacturers face increasing pressure to improve delivery performance. The days of being okay with missed deadlines are over. This is the physical reality of factory floors where robots either work or they don't, and there's no middle ground when a production line stops.

Over the next three years, Robots for America will focus on establishing robotics as a recognized pillar of U.S. industrial policy. The coalition plans to create real representation for American factory operators in Washington, change the public conversation around automation from fear to facts, and open access to automation technology for mid-market manufacturers who need it most.

The coalition is currently forming steering committees across policy, technology, narrative, and operations. It is actively welcoming new founding members, manufacturing members, and advisors. More information is available at robotsforamerica.org.

Whether this coalition actually moves policy needles or just generates press releases remains to be seen. Government procurement cycles move slower than robot deployment cycles, and the real test will be whether manufacturers see tangible changes in their bottom lines within the next 24 months.

Artūras Malašauskas is an AI Systems Integrator with 20+ years of production-grade web engineering experience. He has designed, shipped, and scaled enterprise Python/PHP systems for logistics, SaaS, and public-sector clients. For the past year, he has focused exclusively on AI integrations: deploying open-source LLMs, building generative media pipelines (image, audio, video), and engineering multi-agent workflows for real production environments. His standard: reproducibility, security, cost-efficient inference—no vaporware. He documents and evaluates emerging AI tooling, separating verified capabilities from marketing noise. Technical editor at: muza-ai.eu, ai-verslas.lt, ai-naujinos.lt Connect on LinkedIn