NEW ORLEANS, Jan 23 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The State of Louisiana and Persona AI headquartered in Houston, Texas, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch a pilot program advancing humanoid robotics in active heavy-industry environments. The pilot, to be conducted at SSE Steel Fabrication’s (SSE Steel) large-scale fabrication facility in St. Bernard Parish, marks a significant moment where a State has formally partnered with industry to support humanoid robotics development in a live industrial setting.
Facilitated by Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO), a division of Louisiana Economic Development (LED), and supported by Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), the initiative will position Louisiana as a national leader in embodied AI in advanced manufacturing and next-generation workforce technologies. The pilot will focus on collecting real-world human movement and task data in an operating steel manufacturing facility, informing how humanoid systems will perceive, move, and work alongside skilled tradespeople in complex, dynamic environments.