Center for Embodied Intelligence and Robotics

This center aims to evolve AI robots—which currently rely on visual and linguistic cues to generate “plausible sequences of actions”—into interactive agents capable of carrying out tasks to completion in the real world. By analyzing the exchange of force, velocity, and energy that occurs when the robot’s body interacts with its environment, the robot can interpret an object’s stiffness, constraints, friction, and functionality, and adapt its movements to adapt to unknown situations. We view contact and disturbances not as sources of failure but as catalysts for the emergence of intelligence, and are advancing integrated demonstrations in fields such as food processing, construction, and personal care. We aim to establish a general-purpose autonomous robot platform capable of coexisting safely with humans and completing a series of tasks even in changing environments, thereby accelerating its deployment into society.

July 3, 2026 – March 31, 2031