Carnegie Mellon Opens 150K Sq Ft Robotics Innovation Center

A sprawling new research center in Pittsburgh is accelerating the future of robotics, from ocean depths to outer space.

Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Innovation Center officially opened at Hazelwood Green, offering 150,000 square feet of cutting-edge research space. The facility includes a 75,000-gallon water tank for testing underwater robots, indoor tracks for autonomous vehicles, and collaborative workspaces where students and professors develop AI-powered machines side by side.

The center's location tells a powerful story of transformation. It sits on the site of a former steel mill, symbolizing Pittsburgh's evolution from Steel City to what researchers are calling "Roboburgh."

Professor Raj Rajkumar, who studied at CMU in the 1980s, witnessed the end of the steelmaking era on this very site. Now he's testing self-driving car technology in the same space where steel once poured.

Students are already making waves in the new facility. The TartanAUV team recently tested Osprey, their autonomous underwater vehicle, in the center's massive water tank during the building's inaugural research session.

The center brings together engineers from multiple departments to tackle real-world challenges in agriculture, manufacturing, search and rescue, and space exploration. This cross-disciplinary approach has always been Carnegie Mellon's strength, allowing brilliant ideas to become working systems.

Industry partners can now work directly alongside university researchers, creating a pipeline from breakthrough discovery to practical application. The facility has already secured its first corporate tenant, FieldAI, signaling strong industry interest in collaboration.

The Ripple Effect

The Robotics Innovation Center extends far beyond university walls. By positioning Pittsburgh as the global hub for robotics research, it's creating economic opportunities and high-tech jobs throughout the region.

The facility will help launch new companies and products, building on CMU's legacy of robotics firsts. Carnegie Mellon researchers developed some of the world's earliest autonomous vehicles and pioneering AI systems that now influence technology worldwide.

Dean Martial Hebert says the center will enable "a new generation of world-changing research" that tackles humanity's toughest challenges. From robots that assist elderly people to machines that explore dangerous environments, the innovations emerging from this building could improve lives across the planet.

The renaissance of Pittsburgh's industrial landscape continues, powered by the same innovative spirit that once made it America's steel capital.