About
The Contextual Robotics Institute at UC San Diego aims to advance the research required to develop useful robotic systems for the public good that "see, think and do." The Institute's mission is to advance contextual robotics through relevant grand challenge research, to educate and train students who are prepared to catalyze future developments in robotics; and to provide the talent and innovation to establish San Diego / Cali Baja as a leading robotics hub.
Contextual robotics systems will sense the environment around them; learn from experience and situational awareness; and act autonomously to assist humans in a course of action. Such systems will serve as companions and service providers; as advanced tools for surgeons and other medical professionals; as first responders for firefighting, security, or search and rescue; and as environmental monitors and more.
Developing contextual robotic systems over the next decade will require advances in robotic sensing and vision, perception, cognition, control, coordination, mobility and manipulation. UC San Diego is uniquely qualified to develop and integrate many of the underlying technologies needed to make helpful, thinking robotic systems a reality.
The Contextual Robotics Institute draws together a core group of researchers at UC San Diego from across engineering disciplines, computer and data sciences, and the cognitive and neurosciences into a highly collaborative environment. Shared research labs will accelerate the interdisciplinary research that is crucial for developing autonomous robotic systems that see, think and do.