Robotics

Our experts are creating the next generation of robotics for human interaction across disciplines.

Robotics

  • close up of an ant on a flower

    Bioinspired robotics

    Natural organisms have amazing abilities that inspire the field of robotics. Our researchers are investigating how we can replicate a leafhopper’s jump in a robot,  what we can learn from the way cockroaches move, and how we can create robots and biohybrid robotic systems that are as robust and adaptable as animals.

    Faculty involved: Sarah Bergbreiter, Aaron Johnson, Victoria Webster-Wood, Inseung Kang

     

  • close up of a jumping robot

    Robots that walk, run, jump, creep, roll, and fly

    Researchers explore legged robotics to design better controllers for stable, energy efficiency, fast locomotion as well as the ability to reliably travel over unstructured terrain - like the moon.

    Our faculty are creating technologies for infrastructure inspection, aerial load transportation, agricultural monitoring, and autonomous point-to-point flight.

    Faculty involved: Sarah Bergbreiter, Aaron Johnson, Kenji Shimada, Inseung Kang

     

  • close up of tomatoes

    Micro robotics and biomedical applications

    Through multidisciplinary collaboration, our faculty are fabricating magnetic micro swimming robots assembled from DNA nanostructures, controlling robots that walk on water and climb walls with nano-fiber adhesives, and designing devices for microsurgery.

    Faculty involved: Sarah Bergbreiter, Burak Ozdoganlar, Rebecca Taylor, Victoria Webster-Wood, Inseung Kang

  • human wearing robotic exoskeleton

    Assistive robotics and wearables

    Wearable robotic systems can have a transformative impact on human mobility. Our researchers are developing robotic exoskeletons for clinical populations and building portable systems for precision rehab. By combining data from wearable sensors with artificial intelligence they are trying to understand what movement patterns are associated with disease progression. 

    Faculty involved: Eni Halilaj, Inseung Kang 

    Learn more...."Precision rehabilitation to prevent osteoarthritis"

  • close up of a jumping robot

    Special tasks: Human help

    Whether it's maneuvering through debris after a hurricane, or helping a person with physical limitations chop vegetables, robots can perform tasks that are difficult and dangerous for people.

    Faculty involved: Amir Barati Farimani, Aaron Johnson, Kenji Shimada, Ding Zhao , Inseung Kang

    • People

    Learn who in Mechanical Engineering is working in advanced manufacturing.

    Related News

    RoboTool enables creative tool use in—you guessed it—robots Opens in new window

    Large language models enable robots to “brainstorm” creative tool use and perform seemingly impossible tasks.

    Drones CAN navigate dynamic environments Opens in new window

    Novel drone navigation technology developed by Kenji Shimada was put to the test in an active Japanese tunnel construction site, enabling drones to approximate where a collision may occur and prevent it.

    Big picture, small robot Opens in new window

    A team of mechanical engineering researchers create “Mugatu,” the first steerable bipedal robot with only one motor.

    Chop, chop: Improving food prep with the power of AI Opens in new window

    Researchers at CMU combined two vision foundational models—models trained on large visual data sets—to help a robot arm recognize the shape and the type of fruit and vegetable slices.

    Dowd Fellowship encourages ambitious student research Opens in new window

    Four Ph.D. students in the College of Engineering have received funding to pursue research on valuable, relatively unexplored topics.

    450-million-year-old organism finds new life in Softbotics Opens in new window

    Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering used fossil evidence to engineer a soft robotic replica of pleurocystitids, a marine organism that existed nearly 450 million years ago and is believed to be one of the first echinoderms capable of movement using a muscular stem.

    A new course for prosthetics care Opens in new window

    Between his studies, a teaching opportunity, and nonprofit work, mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Jonathan Shulgach looks to reimagine the experience of receiving medical care by bringing patients closer to the process.

    Tricky tangles: Robots learn to navigate vine-like vegetation Opens in new window

    CMU researchers develop technology that enables four-legged robots to walk through vine-like vegetation.

    Explore Other Research Topics

    Robotics Institute

    The Robotics Institute

    featured research institute

    Learn more about the Robotics Institute.