A Foundation for Robotics

Welcome to the robotic age. Long-term federal investments in fundamental science and engineering research, and the researchers who pursue them, have led to novel machines that safely partner with people in nearly every environment. Soon, helping hands are as likely to be made of metal and plastic as flesh and bone.

Robot fundamentals

Since its inception, NSF has supported the fundamental research and education in computing and engineering that enabled robotics to develop in the U.S. From robot sensing and mobility to cognition and resiliency, new discoveries by NSF-supported researchers are advancing the field.

Robot partners

Cooperative robots, or co-robots, increasingly interact with people in a variety of settings. These robot partners can increase the efficiency, productivity and safety of humans in areas from manufacturing and disaster response to health care and education.

Universe of robots

Long a fixture on the factory floor, co-robots will soon inspect infrastructure, deliver medicine inside our bodies and enable disabled individuals to walk using their minds. A synthesis of discoveries throughout the field will make incredible new robot applications part of our everyday lives.

NSF-funded robotics

Scientists and engineers are developing robots that can handle critical tasks -- from disaster recovery to caring for the elderly -- safely and with greater resilience than previous generations of intelligent machines.

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Robots today need motivation. Download our set of #GenerationR motivational posters to help.

The White House launched the NSF-led National Robotics Initiative on June 24, 2011, to develop robots that work with people to extend or augment human capabilities.

The research community's Robotics Virtual Organization shares A Roadmap for U.S. Robotics: From Internet to Robotics (2013), which outlines recent progress in robotics and identifies goals for the coming decade.

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