Robotics Research

Creations Limited Only by Imagination

At Mason, our robotics researchers are generating technology that approaches the imagination and vision of H.G. Wells, George Lucas, and even Douglas Adams. Our robots are learning. Our robots are seeing. Our robots are doing. Our robots are saving the day.


Robotics Labs

Micro/Nano Mechanics and Photonics with Nanomaterials Laboratory

Researchers in this lab conduct fundamental research on micro/nanoscale mechanics and photonics with nanomaterials for innovations in nanobiosensors. This team explores broad fields including nanophotonics, optofluidic, optoelectronics, and plasmonics to create innovations in advanced materials and manufacturing for high-performance, low-cost sensor devices. The research aims to develop advanced, high-performance materials with new functionalities in mechanical, optical, and electrical properties. Learn More

The Vessel Dynamics Laboratory

This lab capitalizes on George Mason University’s unique waterfront facility at the Potomac Science Center. The research team focuses on computational and experimental studies to better understand the dynamics and hydrodynamics of manned and unmanned vessels. Read about the lab.

Autonomous Robotics Laboratory

The Autonomous Robotics Laboratory is a collective effort among faculty in the Department of Computer Science. The research includes a variety of topics involving robotics, computer vision, and networks. They cover areas such as multi-robotics and swarm robotics, multiagent learning and stochastic optimization, swarm simulation, distributed sensor networks and mobile sensor networks, computer vision, tracking, situated vision, and multi-robot vision. Learn more.

Computer Vision and Robotics Laboratory

Computer Vision and Robotics Laboratory is located on the SciTech Campus. The researchers affiliated with this lab explore topics such as human-computer interaction, pattern recognition and neural networks, mobile robotics and how to build models from video and photos. 
 


 

Departments Active in Robotics and Autonomous Systems Research

The Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

CEIE Department attracts and educates Virginia’s best performing students as well as national and international undergraduate and graduate students. Our students are opportunity seekers who are prepared to develop and implement innovative and successful solutions to today’s complex and multi-disciplinary engineering challenges.

Computer Science

Researchers in the Department of Computer Science design, implement, and maintain computer software systems used in almost all other professions. Students majoring in computer science will become well grounded in technologies needed for the acquisition, representation, storage, transmission, transformation, and use of information in digital form and must be capable of working closely with members of other professions associated with computing.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Researchers in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department work on the foundations on which computer engineering and computer science rest. Electrical engineers design and build the equipment that most of us take for granted—computers, cell phones, televisions, rockets, satellites, communications and computer networks, mobile radios, environmental control systems, robots, weapons, and medical devices. With a proud history as one of the school’s founding departments, ECE also the distinction of being closely allied with the recently established Department of Bioengineering.

Mechanical Engineering

Our goal is to enable multiple robots to work as a team to perform complex real-world tasks. By designing theories and algorithms to control teams of robots, we envision autonomous agents to help human workers in many applications including agriculture, environmental monitoring, security, or disaster response.

Statistics

We investigate statistical problems arising in privacy and security analytics, the statistical analysis of literary style, and the statistical foundations of geometric and topological data analysis.

Cyber Security Engineering

Our researchers are developing new models and systems to make NextG more useful and secure for businesses, government, and industry.

Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR)

Research includes C4I, defense and security, and systems architecting.