Robotics is a disruptive technology that has taken a leap in the 21st century. Today, robots can perform numerous tasks starting from doing house chores and delivering parcels to performing surgeries and taking up high-risk jobs. Robotics and the convenience they provide to the real-world scenario wouldn’t exist without robotic institutions and robotic labs. Robotics professionals also play a big role in driving the future towards a more disruptive space. People who are aspiring to study robotics pick up robotic institutions that have a top robotic lab. Top robotic labs are very important when it comes to training a robotic professional. Students get first-hand experience on the actual robotic technologies even when they are in the first phase of their career. Many universities from across the globe have created top robotic labs with the help of their faculty and students. These top robotic labs work out of the small education circle and help robotic professionals to innovate and derange in the field. They unleash a space for students to work alongside robotic professionals. Many robotic labs have marked significant milestones in the history of technology. In this article, IndustryWired takes you through top robotic labs that are laying the foundation stone for current and future disruption.
Top Robotic Labs in 2021
Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab
Founded in 1962 by Professor John McCarthy, the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL), makes a remarkable stand in collaborating technology with worldly applications. The lab provides a rich, intellectual, and stimulating academic environment to students and professionals, working to innovate new robotic products. It mainly concentrates on human-robot interactions through artificial intelligence, all while developing next-generation of researchers.
Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory
Managed by the University of California, Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory work on the design and control of a class of robotic systems worn or operated by humans to increase human mechanical strength. The lab is highly contributing to robotics that could help humans ease their physical pressure while carrying out routine tasks. They are working on human power extenders to maneuver heavy loads with great dexterity, speed, and precision. These kinds of human-aid robots can be used in factories, airports, shipyards, construction sites, etc.
Chair for Robotics and Embedded Systems
Chair for Robotics and Embedded Systems is located at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. The robotics lab focuses on the coexistence and cooperation of humans and intelligent robots. The researchers and professionals in the lab work to make the line separating spatial humans and robots disappear. Chair for Robotics and Embedded Systems also focuses on the intuitive programming of lightweight robots. By doing so, the lab is trying to leverage robots for non-experts in small and medium-sized enterprises as well as in household applications.
The Yale GRAB Lab
The GRAB Lab, situated in Yale University, is conducting research into robot manipulation, dexterous grasping, and manipulation, upper-limb prosthetics, human grasping and manipulation, and assistive and rehabilitation devices, and many others. In a nutshell, the lab is working to enhance the capabilities of robotic aid parts that could help humans better their performance.
Georgia Tech Mobile Robot Lab
Moving robots are attracting more people than ever before. Many sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, banking, etc are using mobile robots to carry out the routine process without human interventions. To enhance the features and accelerate more capabilities, Georgia Tech Mobile Robot Lab is working to discover and develop fundamental scientific principles and practices that are applicable to intelligent mobile robot systems. The professionals at the lab also work to integrate robots with the actual real-world scenario.
Harvard Agile Robotics Lab
Agile Robotics lab is located inside the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Moving a step further from the actual robotics market, the lab is conducting basic research on optimization, control, and planning algorithms for dynamic walking, manipulating, and flying robots. The lab designs disruptive algorithms to power trailblazing robots. Their innovative products fill the gap between the mechanical and biological performance of robust robots.
Laboratory for Computational Sensing + Robotics
Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics is a not-for-profit interdisciplinary academic centre for engineering, research, and development. The lab was founded as principal locus by John Hopkins University. LCSR envisions creating knowledge and fostering innovation to further the field of robotics science and engineering. They plan to accomplish this by cultivating excellence in research and teaching in robotics engineering sciences, and by exploiting opportunities for robotics research and interdisciplinary synergy across all John Hopkins University divisions and with collaborators worldwide.