MassRobotics, a number one robotics innovation group, introduced its 2025 Robotics Medal and Rising Star recipients on the IEEE ICRA convention in Atlanta. The Robotics Medal is the world’s first main award to acknowledge the wide-ranging impression of feminine researchers specializing in the event of robotics across the globe. The Robotics Medal is awarded to a nominated lady researcher in robotics to acknowledge her impactful contributions to the sector and features a $50K prize awarded to the person. The Rising Star Medal acknowledges up-and-coming ladies making strides and advancing the sector of robotics and features a $5K award given to the person.
The third Annual MassRobotics Robotics Medal award, sponsored by Amazon Robotics, is introduced to Dr. Maja Matarić, Chaired and Distinguished Professor of Pc Science, Viterbi College of Engineering, College of Southern California, for her pioneering work within the discipline of socially assistive robots and for making important developments to the sector of distributed robots and studying in human-robot methods.
Dr. Tania Morimoto, Affiliate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering on the College of California, San Diego, is awarded the MassRobotics Rising Star in Robotics Medal for her contributions to novel delicate and versatile medical robots and human-machine interfaces designed to enhance entry to high-quality care.
To encourage range within the discipline of robotics, Amazon established an endowment with MassRobotics in 2022 to help these annual awards. The aim of The Robotics Medal is to not solely have fun particular person achievements, however to encourage and encourage ladies and different underrepresented teams to take part in shaping the way forward for the world by way of robotics.
“Because the founding sponsor of the Robotics Medal, we intention to acknowledge and honor feminine robotics professors across the globe who’ve made exceptional contributions to advancing robotics expertise,” defined Tye Brady, who serves as each the chief technologist at Amazon Robotics and chairperson of MassRobotics’ board. “We’re deeply grateful for the invaluable insights and academic contributions supplied by each Dr. Matarić and Dr. Morimoto to our bodily AI neighborhood and we’re proud to help this recognition in honor of their achievements.”
Since 2017, MassRobotics has grown from a Massachusetts-based incubator to a world robotics hub, serving to help the adoption of robotics worldwide and offering startups with the sources wanted to develop and scale. Of the present 95+ startups that MassRobotics homes at its facility in Boston, greater than 50% are from out of state and 25% are from outdoors the U.S.
MassRobotics hosts STEM and robotics initiatives particularly developed for highschool ladies and continues to advertise ladies in robotics by way of occasions and networking to make sure ladies are acknowledged and heard. Over the previous 5 years the MassRobotics Jumpstart Fellowship program has graduated practically 100 college students who’ve since enrolled in notable universities together with MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College, Stanford, Georgia Tech, College of Michigan, Purdue College, and the College of Massachusetts.
Though strides are being made and girls now make up 48 % of the overall workforce, simply 34% of the STEM workforce is made up of girls, and solely 16% are in engineering and robotics roles, in line with the Nationwide Women Collaborative Undertaking.
Nominations for these awards got here from round america together with Texas, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania, in addition to throughout the globe from nations together with Canada, Japan, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, and India. Submissions spanned a variety of robotic expertise fields and areas of analysis, from new supplies for gripping, exoskeletons and assistive applied sciences, human robotic interplay, and movement planning.
“We had been thrilled by the overwhelming variety of certified nominations we acquired and impressed with the range of robotic fields and analysis taking place throughout the globe,” stated Joyce Sidopoulos, cofounder at MassRobotics. “It displays the contributions ladies have made, and conjures up the subsequent technology who will make an impression on this increasing discipline touching practically each trade.”
The Robotics Medal and Rising Star recipients had been chosen by a committee of robotics consultants, led by MassRobotics, which convened a number of instances and methodically evaluated the importance, depth, and originality of technical contributions every nominee has made within the total discipline of robotics.
“Robotics as a discipline advances most quickly when it attracts from various mental views and technical approaches. The contributions of main feminine researchers have been instrumental in fixing a number of the most difficult issues in our self-discipline,” stated Daniela Rus, Director of the Pc Science and Synthetic Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT and member of the MassRobotics board. “The Robotics Medal acknowledges the distinctive scientific achievement and technical innovation that has basically superior the sector.”
A proper Gala awarding the medals and celebrating the recipients might be held in Boston on the MIT Samberg Convention Heart on October 25, 2025. Tickets, reserved tables, and sponsorship alternatives for the occasion can be found right here. MassRobotics has created an endowment and welcomes contributions to help future money prizes for The Robotics Medal. Contact award@massrobotics.org to find out about turning into an underwriter of The Robotics Medal. Nominations for the 2026 Robotics Medal and Rising Star are open till December twentieth, 2025. Extra info will be discovered right here.
