WPI projects granted $662K through new Mass. AI Hub

Two projects led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers have been awarded a combined $661,662 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, as part of the quasi-state agency’s inaugural Massachusetts AI Models Innovation Challenge. A team led by Michael Timko, WPI professor and chemical engineering department head, was awarded $381,931 for a project seeking to create a digital simulation of hydrothermal liquefaction, a process which turns waste into energy, according to a press release issued by WPI on Monday. The team’s model uses data from thousands of experiments and machine learning to predict the outcome of using hydrothermal liquefaction, saving time and costs compared to laboratory experiments. WPI’s second grant recipient was a team led by Berk Calli, an associate professor in the school’s Robotics Engineering Department. Calli’s team was awarded $279,731 for a project intending to use an AI-powered robotic system to increase recycling, through the development of less complex and less arduous sorting processes. The program was an initiative of MassTech’s new Massachusetts AI Hub, announced by Gov. Maura Healey in December. The WPI awards were two of seven issued, resulting in $2.88 million in grants throughout the state. “Massachusetts recognizes how AI can solve business challenges and ultimately create new, good-paying jobs statewide,” Healey said in a Monday press release from the state announcing the grants. “The MA AI Models Program is taking a laser-focused approach to specific industries that seek to improve pediatric health, strengthen coastal resilience and make our advanced manufacturers more competitive.” Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.