Leading the Pack in Robotics at NC State

At NC State’s first annual Robotics Symposium, faculty envision the College of Engineering at the forefront of a rapidly growing field.

The College of Engineering’s new Robotics Initiative is connecting faculty leading robotics research and teaching, identifying opportunities to bring in new expertise, and developing plans for cutting-edge infrastructure — all with the goal of becoming a national leader in AI-enabled, hands-on robotics innovation.

On March 2 at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, NC State hosted its inaugural Robotics Symposium to bring together faculty and students to share research, discuss curriculum and identify the opportunities to build momentum. 

“NC State has a strong and expanding presence in robotics across healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and beyond,” said Veena Misra, head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). “This creates a powerful opportunity to deploy robotics for purpose-driven, real-world applications.” 

Misra, who chairs the robotics steering committee, said existing expertise and labs make NC State uniquely qualified to lead the way in robotics research and teaching.

NC State’s already extensive work in applied artificial intelligence will carry the initiative forward as AI becomes foundational in robotics.

“The work that has been done over the last decade makes today possible,” said Jim Pfaendtner, the Louis Martin-Vega Dean of Engineering. ​​“We need to imagine, what does it look like for Centennial Campus to be the center of AI and robotics for North Carolina, for the Southeast, for the United States? Because it's possible.” 

In the classroom

The college's existing robotics curriculum focuses on control systems, AI power, mechatronics and real-time robotics.

“We're doing a really good job of actually covering many of the core topics in robotics,” said Sterling McLeod, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Computer Science, who presented on the current courses and education outcomes at NC State. “Most of these are undergraduate courses, which is a unique thing to [NC State].”

Faculty aim to unify all existing courses under one interdisciplinary robotics minor. McLeod wants to focus first on undergraduate courses, eventually creating more capstones for a future major.

After class, student organizations provide an introduction to robotics. Students involved with clubs such as BattlePack Combat Robotics, RoboPack and the Helping Hand Project spoke about their interest areas, which span everything from agriculture to prosthetics.

“You can really pursue any area you’re interested in,” said Reilly Witte, a senior computer engineering major who is part of AquaPack. “It’s a really good place to get that all-encompassing introduction to engineering.”

Research

Robotics research at NC State is focused on several key priorities: advanced and safe autonomy, perception and control for robotics; application-focused robotics; human-centered robotics; and education, materials and manufacturing for robotics.

Faculty presented on the current initiative, existing robotics research and future opportunities.

Students contribute to vital research at NC State. John Patterson, a third-year Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, is working on a robotic hand used to measure neural activity in muscles for stroke survivors.

“I’m in a niche area on the rehabilitation side, but it's a booming field, and there's plenty of research going on in general robotics that I'm trying to bring into the prosthetic prosthesis world,” said Patterson.

Alex Sprague, an assistant research scholar at the Biomedical Partnership Center in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill, presented his work at the hand rehabilitation lab during the poster session.

“It's nice to be in a place that really supports this research and gives us a chance to cross-collaborate,” said Sprague, who worked closely with researchers from ECE and the Wilson College of Textiles.

Misra’s committee is also looking into industry and cross-institutional partnerships to further research collaboration.

What’s next

NC State faculty and researchers left the symposium inspired and ready to collaborate.

A new lab in Engineering Building II, new robotics facilities in Research Building IV and an interdisciplinary curriculum are all priorities heading into the 2026-27 academic year. Professors are building both foundational and core classes.

“We are witnessing the AI-driven reinvention of robotics,” Misra said. “NC State should seize this opportunity.”