MassRobotics honors Stanford’s Allison Okamura and Seoul National University’s Ayoung Kim with 2026 robotics medals
At the recent IEEE ICRA conference held in Vienna, MassRobotics, a leading organization in robotics innovation, unveiled the recipients of its 2026 Robotics Medal and Rising Star awards. This prestigious Robotics Medal is notable for being the first major accolade dedicated to honoring the significant contributions of female researchers in the field of robotics worldwide. The awards aim to highlight and celebrate the achievements of women who are making impactful strides in robotics development, thereby promoting diversity and inclusion within the industry.
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RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
MassRobotics
United States
Boston-based nonprofit and the world's largest independent robotics hub, supporting robotics and Physical AI startups with workspace, prototyping resources, and industry connections. Resident startups have collectively raised over USD 2 billion in venture funding.
HERL (Human Engineering Research Lab)
United States
Joint University of Pittsburgh and US Department of Veterans Affairs laboratory conducting rehabilitation engineering research. Develops mobility devices, assistive technologies, and medical-grade products for people with disabilities.
Joanneum Research Assoc (AT)
Austria
Joanneum Research Institute for Robotics and Flexible Production conducts applied R&D in industrial robot systems, production automation and robot safety, offering feasibility analysis, consulting and testing in a robotics solution centre.
St Petersburg National Research U of ITMO
Russian leading research university (ITMO University) specializing in information technology, optical engineering, and photonics. Active research programs in AI, robotics, computer vision, and cyber-physical systems.
Alkadur Robot Systems GmbH
Germany
Alkadur Robot Systems (Germany) manufactures automated doner kebab cutting robots for commercial food service environments. The robotic systems use optically integrated sensors to deliver precise, hygienic, single-button-operated meat slicing for high-volume restaurant and catering operations.
CRP Robot (CN)
China
Chinese high-tech enterprise manufacturing industrial robots, collaborative robots, and core robot components including control systems and servo systems. Main drafting unit of four Chinese national standards in the industrial robot domain.
Dr Robot
Canada
Dr Robot Inc develops WiFi-connected robot platforms, motor drivers, servo controllers, and OEM robot kits for autonomous mobile and humanoid robot development. Products target educational, research, and personal robot application developers.
Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) (KR)
Korea, Republic of (South)
South Korean government aerospace research institute conducting R&D in satellites, launch vehicles, and aviation technology. URL resolved to a tourism website. KARI develops space exploration systems and unmanned aerial vehicles for national programs.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
United States
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a US ocean research institution known for developing underwater robotic vehicles (ROVs, AUVs) and sensor systems for deep-sea science. Website content was empty at time of scrape; classification based on the institution's well-established robotics research profile.
Southwest Research Institute
United States
Southwest Research Institute Robotics Division conducts applied R&D in industrial automation, manufacturing robotics, reliable space-qualified components, embedded systems, attitude control, and verification/validation for aerospace and terrestrial applications.
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