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Hundreds of academics and industry leaders in robotics toured Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 robotics and engineering facilities on Oct. 1 to see what 蘑菇Av researchers are working on inside the Robotics Innovation Center, Mill 19 and the National Robotics Engineering Center as part of the听.

鈥淪pace was limited for these tours and spots filled up fast,鈥� said George Darakos, the chief partnerships officer in the听. 鈥淲e wanted to showcase not only the cutting-edge work in robotics happening across Carnegie Mellon and Pittsburgh, but also invite the world鈥檚 robotics community into CMU鈥檚 state-of-the-art facilities that foster this innovation.鈥�

Displays filled the facilities, giving visitors up-close access to the work of researchers and teams rooted in CMU, including the听,听 and CMU spin-out听FuturHand Robotics.听

, an associate research professor in the听 and co-director of the听Extended Reality Technology Center, said the event helped to showcase the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of robotics.

鈥淎s a lot of these AI and robot technologies become more and more practical, more and more used, it's really important to bring in diverse technologies to make one whole system,鈥� Kitani said. 鈥淭hat's something that we've done as a lab over the years: We've had a diverse set of projects that I think all feed into AI collaborating with people.鈥�

When tech meets the real world

Bio-inspired robots stole much of the show as researchers explained how the future of robotics could take inspiration from the natural world. Clarence H. Adamson Professor of Mechanical Engineering听, who serves as head of the听, gave visitors close looks at creations like starfish- and fossil-inspired robots and artificial hands for sensitive tactile scenarios.

He said the event gives people a sense of what deployment looks like after years of innovative research.

鈥淲e鈥檝e done a lot of work over the years in terms of developing new material architectures for creating these robotic systems,鈥� Majidi said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e now at the point where we need to find breakthrough applications of these technologies. Why today is significant with IROS being here and all of this activity and attention on Pittsburgh, is that we feel that we鈥檙e actually ready now to start deploying these systems in the real world.鈥�

, Ka谓膷i膰-Moura Professor of Computer Science in RI, served as general chair for the IROS organizing committee. Choset said the goal of this year鈥檚 tours was to allow visitors the chance to experience the knowledge and expertise that Pittsburgh and CMU have to offer.听

鈥淭here are so many new things we are introducing to make a big conference feel small,鈥� he said ahead of the event. 鈥淭here truly will be something for everyone.鈥�

颁丑辞蝉别迟鈥檚 also showed off many of its nature-inspired creations, including snake robots for underwater navigation, as well as a terrestrial snake robot 鈥� the same kind used by Choset in听rescue operations after earthquakes in Venezuela.

Smarter systems for physical spaces

, an assistant professor in the听, creates smart devices for everyday use that seamlessly blend into the background of life. She calls it unobtrusive intelligence. Her听 works on everything from proactive robotic objects to unpowered wearable exoskeletons. Robots that understand human preferences, infer user intent, and assist them dynamically promise to add tremendous value to our lives, she said.

鈥淭he current advances in robotics and the enthusiasm around it is exhilarating and it was exciting to showcase our contributions with a global audience of experts,鈥� Ion said.

The Robotics Institute鈥檚听 offered an up-close look at the future of drone technology, as autonomous flying robots performed complex spatial navigation tasks in real time.

CMU undergraduates also helped showcase new innovations in the space with 26x, the first student-built autonomous car to allow for both driverless and human-driven control. Each new car built every year represents the work of thousands of students from all seven of CMU鈥檚 schools and colleges as each class passes down their lessons to the next generation to build on.
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Arya Lohia, a third-year engineering student and a lead for the听 Autonomous Division, spoke about the chance to show the team鈥檚 design to visitors.听

鈥淭o be able to speak about our work to other people is a massive, massive opportunity,鈥� Lohia said. 鈥淲e as undergraduates put our life into this: We spend 30 hours a week on classes, and can spend 40 hours a week on projects like this.鈥澨�

鈥淗aving people who are the best at what they do come to see our work from all over the world听 is just a fantastic experience,鈥� he said.

IROS is among the premier robotics conferences. Researchers from around the world came to the conference to present and learn about the latest in the field. Companies exhibiting at the conference offered a glimpse at the future. The conference was last held in Pittsburgh in 1995. The 2026 conference and its return to Pittsburgh reinforces the city鈥檚 status as a leader in dynamic physical systems and the technologies that make them possible.听

鈥淭he occurrence of large robotics conferences like IROS in Pittsburgh further cements Pittsburgh as a global hub for robotics with a vibrant and growing ecosystem of start-ups, research centers and talent,鈥� said , associate director at NREC, which hosted a significant portion of the tours.

IROS 2027 will take place in Florence, Italy, and although on the other side of the Atlantic, CMU will have a strong presence.听