RI | Research | Centers

Robotics Institute Research Centers [Past Centers - CRSP]

CFR | CIMDS | FRC | MRTC | NREC | SRI | VASC

Center for the Foundations of Robotics (CFR) The goal of the Center for the Foundations of Robotics (CFR) is to encourage and facilitate fundamental robotics research, both theoretical and experimental. Participants are exploring basic issues in manipulation, mobile robotics, manufacturing, control, motion planning, graphics, and other topics. The CFR provides a venue for fundamental research collaboration through the Foundations Seminar and occasional micro-courses or tutorials.

Center for Integrated Manufacturing and Decision Systems (CIMDS) The Center for Integrated Manufacturing Decision Systems is an eclectic collection of people, projects, and labs involved in research in the fields of manufacturing; visualization and interfaces; intelligent coordination and logistics; intelligent sensors, measurement, and control; and artificial intelligence.

Field Robotics Center (FRC) Red Whittaker Field robotics is the use of mobile robots in field environments such as work sites and natural terrain, where the robots must safeguard themselves while performing non-repetitive tasks and objective sensing as well as self-navigation in random or dynamic environments. The Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon University is dedicated to the pursuit of this technology, and to push its limits into the next century, our imaginations, and beyond.

Medical Robotics Technology Center (MRTC) Jim Osborn, Executive Director Through innovations in robotics and information technologies for medicine and surgery, we are pursuing perfection in healthcare. We do basic and applied research in computer-assisted surgery, smart medical and diagnostic tools, 2D and 3D medical image analysis and informatics, rehabilitative and prosthetic devices, assisted living and preventive healthcare equipment, and continuous healthcare process improvement. The MRT Center is harnessing and extending robotics and information technologies developed at Carnegie Mellon and elsewhere, and in collaboration with medical centers and biotechnology companies in the Pittsburgh region, quickly getting research results into clinical practice and commercial development.

National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) John Bares The National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) is a technology transfer organization that designs, develops and tests robotic systems and vehicles for industrial and government clients. The NREC combines systems engineering disciplines of requirements and trades analysis, design, simulation, integration and test with applied research capabilities in autonomy, sensing and unmanned platform design. The NREC excels in rapid integration and field-testing of automated systems and several of their systems have transitioned to industry and the military.

Space Robotics Initiative (SRI) The Space Robotics Initiative comprises a series of projects involving robotic exploration and manipulation of extraterrestrial environments and their concurrent communication, command, and control (C3) functions.

Vision and Autonomous Systems Center (VASC) The Vision and Autonomous Systems Center (VASC) is a large research group within The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. VASC personnel consists of over 100 faculty, students, and staff, visitors, working in the areas of computer vision, autonomous navigation, virtual reality, intelligent manipulation, space robotics, and related fields.