Robotics & Autonomous Systems Research

A World-Leading Research Ecosystem

CMU’s Robotics Institute is home to experts in every area of robotics, from advanced manufacturing, autonomous systems and physical AI to robotics for health, national security and resilient infrastructure.

Founded in 1979, the institute was the world’s first academic robotics department. Today, it is the world’s largest university-affiliated robotics research group — and the center of a world-leading robotics ecosystem.

CMU robotics researchers bring software and intelligence together with new forms of hardware, materials and mechanical design. Their work spans mobility, manipulation, sensing, soft robotics, wearable systems and other approaches that expand what robots can do and where they can operate.

For example, researchers in CMU’s School of Computer Science — one of many teams at CMU working on robotic systems design — have developed an open-source software framework that makes it easier to deploy AI across different robots without rebuilding software from scratch. They’re building on the technology through Lavoro AI, a startup that focuses on simplifying robot deployment and accelerating robot learning.

Paving the Way for Generative Manufacturing

BrickGPT, a new tool designed by CMU researchers, uses text prompts to help people and robots bring ideas to life with Lego bricks. Paving the way for generative manufacturing, BrickGPT could speed the process of designing and building new things.

See BrickGPT in action

CMU advances the capabilities that enable robots and autonomous systems to perceive their surroundings, learn, reason, plan and act. This foundational research in AI, computer vision, sensing and control helps machines navigate complex and changing environments.

For example, researchers in the Robotic Institute’s AirLab have developed technologies that can estimate a robot’s position even when its sensors are degraded and enable vehicles to safely traverse complex terrains without time-consuming human intervention. These technologies could have an impact on wildfire monitoring, search and rescue, autonomous driving, emergency response, large-scale mapping and more.

At the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), an expert team works with government and industry clients to take robotic technologies like these from concept to commercialization.

Helping Robots Think on Their Feet

BFM-Zero, a system developed by researchers at CMU and Meta, is one of the first efforts toward creating general-purpose controls for general-purpose robots — propelling the field closer to humanoid robots that can safely and reliably adapt to a variety of tasks.

See the robots in action

CMU develops autonomous systems that can work safely and effectively alongside people. This includes research in human-robot interaction, reliability, testing and validation, as well as technologies that support and extend human capabilities.

For example, researchers at CMU’s MetaMobility lab are developing wearable assistive technologies, such as robotic exoskeletons, to enhance human mobility across various motor tasks and user needs. Combining expertise in both AI and robotics, they aim to broaden the application of wearable interventions in daily life, pushing the boundaries of current mobility assistance technologies.

Another team of researchers is developing new robotic hands designed to handle tasks that previously eluded robots, such as precise manufacturing assembly. They launched a startup, FuturHand Robotics, to deploy and test these highly capable robotic hands in real-world environments.

Guarding the Future With Security Robots

Knightscope, founded by a CMU alumnus, has entered a five-year agreement with the Master of Science in Robotic Systems Development (MRSD) program. Students contribute to the company’s autonomous robots and AI-powered software, which help manage security for facilities nationwide.

Learn how robots improve security

CMU robotics researchers turn foundational ideas into integrated, tested systems. Through collaboration with government, industry and communities, they continuously evolve sectors from manufacturing, transportation and agriculture to health, national security and infrastructure.

At the Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI), for example, researchers advance robotics manufacturing technologies.

And the Robotics Innovation Center brings researchers, students, industry partners and entrepreneurs together in a shared environment designed for robotics research, development and testing. This co-location enables teams to move promising technologies more efficiently from early research to deployment.

Ushering in a More Sustainable and Food-Secure Future

CMU spin-off Bloomfield Robotics uses AI-powered imaging technology to provide continuous, plant-level insights from seed to harvest. By empowering farmers with the tools to increase crop productivity and quality with fewer resources, it contributes to a more sustainable and food-secure future.

Learn how Bloomfield does it

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Return on investment

Cofounded by CMU, NASA, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the city of Pittsburgh, and other partners, the National Robotics Engineering Center began with an initial investment of less than $10 million and has raised more than a half billion dollars in direct funding.

$ 18 billion

Value delivered to Pittsburgh

The National Robotics Engineering Center has been a driving force in the creation of Pittsburgh’s Robotics Row, home to over 80 companies mostly focused on robotics and AI. Many of these companies were founded by NREC alumni, and those NREC-affiliated companies are worth more than $18 billion.

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Technology licenses

Technologies developed at the National Robotics Engineering Center have been licensed hundreds of times around the world, across 31 countries.

AI Foundry

CMU’s AI Science Foundry harnesses the power of autonomous, AI-enabled laboratories to shorten the innovation-to-impact timeline from years to months.

Extended Reality Technology Center (XRTC)

XRTC is a consortium of CMU faculty and partners that boosts research and development of augmented and virtual reality technologies, catalyzing their adoption in industry and society at large.

Field Robotics Center (FRC)

FRC is dedicated to the development of mobile robots for field environments such as work sites and natural terrain.

Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII)

HCII facilitates innovative research in a variety of disciplines, including human-computer interaction, human factors, educational technologies and more.

Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI)

MFI conducts groundbreaking research in additive manufacturing, materials discovery, artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and more.

National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC)

NREC works with government and industry clients to take robotic technologies from concept to commercialization.

Robotics Innovation Center (RIC)

RIC brings researchers, students, industry partners and entrepreneurs together in a shared environment designed for robotics research, development and testing.

Robotics Institute

The Robotics Institute applies robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence to assistive technology, rehabilitation, health monitoring and human-machine interaction.

Collaboration Multiplies Impact on Robotics & Autonomous Systems

CMU works with federal agencies, research institutions and companies to take on challenges that no single organization can solve alone.

An example of this collaborative ethos is Carnegie Mellon’s AI Science Foundry, one of the world's most advanced AI-powered research facilities. The Foundry is part of the National Science Foundation's Programmable Cloud Laboratory Testbed, a national initiative to build a network of AI-enabled laboratories that will transform how scientific discoveries are made.

Other partners in robotics and autonomous systems research include the U.S. Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA, the National Institutes for Health, the National Science Foundation and more.

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