The Robotics Engineering (RBE) department has made a significant impact on robotics engineering education, not only at WPI, but at other institutions as well. In recognition of its leadership for developing and implementing the first ABET-accredited undergraduate Robotics Engineering program in the United States, the WPI RBE department was awarded the 2016 ABET Innovation Award.
The RBE graduate program prepares robotics engineers and researchers across a wide range of disciplines in which the advances of robotics are transformative, including healthcare, manufacturing, material handling, education, transportation, services, safety and security, and search and rescue. It is a significant contributor to WPI’s research portfolio, conducting comprehensive robotics research in 12 dynamic clusters:
- Medical Robotics and Assistive Robotics
- Robot Motion Planning and Control
- Novel Sensors/Actuators and Robot Design
- Robotics and AI
- Sensing and Perception
- Human-Robot Interaction and Interfaces
- Human Augmentation
- Robotic Manipulation
- Soft Robots
- Autonomous Vehicles
- Multi-Robot Systems
- Embedded Systems for Robots.
In association with the Robotics Resource Center at WPI, the RBE department participates in many K-12 outreach events, including:
- Robotics demonstrations and presentations to campus visitors
- TouchTomorrow
- Project Lead The Way
- Alumni Days
- Homecoming
RBE also contributes labs and staff to WPI’s summer programs. Robotics is always a great draw for students of any age!