Gary McMurray Reelected to the Robotic Industries Association Board of Directors

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) announced its new board members during the A3 Business Forum in Orlando, Florida this past weekend. The 2019 board includes Georgia Tech’s Gary V. McMurray, who was reelected to serve a three-year term. McMurray, who was first appointed in 2016, is the only academic on the board composed of senior executives, integrators, and major end users from industry.

Founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1974, RIA is the only trade group in North America organized specifically to serve the robotics industry.

McMurray is the associate director of collaborative robotics for the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM) and a principal research engineer and division chief for the Food Processing Technology Division (FPTD) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).

“I am thrilled RIA reelected Gary to its advisory board. His experience as an academic researcher, combined with his extensive knowledge of building industry partnerships, positions him to serve RIA well,” said Seth Hutchinson, the executive director of IRIM. “This is a clear recognition of Gary's leadership in the greater robotics community and an excellent reflection on the strength of the robotics program here at Georgia Tech.”

After earning his undergraduate and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, McMurray returned to his alma mater in 1989 to work in the FPTD of GTRI. He has served as division chief for the past ten years and helped launch robotics work at GTRI and IRIM.

During his time at GTRI, McMurray has secured two patents, authored a book chapter on robotics and automation for poultry processing, and published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and technical trade magazines.

His research focuses on the development of robotic technologies and manufacturing solutions for the agribusiness sector and the Department of Defense. He is recognized as an expert in visual servoing— the use of vision for real-time control of robotics.

In addition to serving the broader interests of industries in the robotics community, McMurray says, “I am working with RIA to develop the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technicians to meet the demands of this growing industry.” He adds, “Also, I plan to leverage IRIM’s brand with manufacturing and service robotics companies in the U.S. and around the world to foster new collaborations.”