Strategic robotics for a multitude of purposes .
The Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Department has selected Robotics and Autonomy as one of its strategic growth areas , creating one of the most comprehensive robotics research and education programs in the nation both at the graduate and undergraduate levels .
A comprehensive team of nationally and internationally recognized faculty and their research teams are focusing intently on robotics . Their efforts are complemented by additional expertise from a host of other engineering departments and colleagues from Virginia Tech ’ s medical school , humanities , and social sciences . Several research and educational labs extend our large-capacity robotics facilities , and a state-of-the-art curriculum spanning multiple engineering disciplines shapes our unique and comprehensive program .
We are also fortunate to maintain affiliations with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership for testing UAVs , Virginia Tech Transportation Institute ’ s resources for automotives , and other organizations that provide the department with additional research capabilities .
Our specialization in robotics ranges from micro- to macro- and large-scale systems and includes autonomous land , water , and aerial unmanned vehicles ; bio-inspired , interactive , humanoid , exoskeleton , medical , rehabilitation , agricultural , and industrial robots ; multiagent mobile cooperative robots and complex systems , and innovative robotic mechanisms and designs . This research intersects many other controlled , teleoperated , and autonomous systems . Our driverless and autonomous car robots have had a remarkable history of successes in student competitions since the early days of DARPA grand challenges and our student teams continue to make new strides through the current SAE / GM Sponsored AutoDrive electric autonomous vehicle annual competition .