The NYU Tandon School of Engineering has officially unveiled its Center for Robotics and Embodied Intelligence, marking a significant step in establishing a prominent hub for robotics research and education on the East Coast. This initiative is a noteworthy component of NYU’s ambitious $1 billion investment in engineering, announced three years prior. The center will be led by Juan de Pablo, the university’s Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology as well as Executive Dean of NYU Tandon.
Occupying a substantial 10,000 square feet, the center will host over 70 faculty members, Ph.D. students, and post-doctoral researchers, who will benefit from shared experimental spaces. A highlight of this facility is its 6,800-square-foot flagship area located on the ground floor of 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Additionally, 2,200 square feet is dedicated to large-scale multirobot experiments, and a 1,000-square-foot manipulation research lab is set up at the newly established NYU Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science. Such open environments encourage collaboration among engineers, computer scientists, and ethicists, fostering interdisciplinary research.
While advancements in artificial intelligence have been notable in virtual environments, their application in the physical realm—referred to as embodied intelligence—has seen slower progress. The new center aims to bridge this gap, targeting research applications across various sectors including healthcare, infrastructure, manufacturing, and disaster response. De Pablo emphasized the transformative potential of robotics and AI, stressing their capacity to drive significant innovations beneficial to both industry and society.
The faculty associated with the center have collectively secured over $30 million in research funding, with current projects focused on designing robots capable of autonomously navigating urban landscapes and developing algorithms that enhance natural robot movement through learning from human actions. The center’s expanding areas of research encompass AI-driven robot design, physical interaction between robots and humans, and diverse applications that reach into climate science and space exploration.
Co-director Ludovic Righetti highlighted the importance of responsible development in the field. He is actively involved with organizations such as the United Nations and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, advocating for responsible robotics policies. Righetti noted that integrating ethical principles into the research environment is crucial to ensure innovations are safe and beneficial for a wide array of communities.
Partnerships with several high-profile companies, including Meta, Google, Amazon, and many others, are in place to connect research findings with real-world applications. Furthermore, global academic collaborations have been initiated with institutions like Korea’s KAIST and France’s ANITI, CNRS, and INRIA. The center also envisions itself as a regional hub, aspiring to engage researchers from across the New York metropolitan area.
The Center for Robotics and Embodied Intelligence plans to introduce the nation’s first Master of Science in Robotics and Embodied Intelligence and develop a specialized doctoral track. Lerrel Pinto, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at NYU Courant, joins Righetti and Chen Feng as co-directors of the center.
The launch of this center aligns seamlessly with NYU’s overarching strategy of expanding its interdisciplinary scientific infrastructure. Last year, the university announced several initiatives including the Institute for Engineering Health, a collaboration with NYU Langone, and the Urban Institute, created to tackle critical issues related to infrastructure and climate resilience. Moreover, the establishment of the Quantum Institute and the unveiling of the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science mark significant strides in consolidating computational and mathematical fields across the university.
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering continues to foster a dynamic community devoted to addressing some of humanity’s most pressing challenges, advancing interdisciplinary research in areas ranging from Quantum Sciences to Robotics and Embodied Intelligence, demonstrating its role as a vital part of both New York University and the broader global network. For more details, information is available at engineering.nyu.edu.
