Robots on Murray: CMU's Robotics Institute Comes to Squirrel Hill

By Jim Rogal

IT SEEMS THAT TALK ABOUT ROBOTS IS EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS. Online, at universities, on TV news programs, in magazine and newspaper articles, you name it.

But right in the heart of Squirrel Hill, next to the Manor Theatre on Murray Avenue, in what used to be the Barnes & Noble bookstore, people aren’t just talking about robots. They’re making them. That building is now home to a significant expansion of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute (or just RI, as it’s referred to inside). Unfortunately, we won’t be able to stroll by the windows and watch robots being built, at least not yet. But that’s what’s going on in there—big time.

So how did that happen? According to Matthew Johnson-Roberson, a CMU professor and director of the RI, the answer is pretty simple. “We ran out of room on campus, so we needed to find more space,” he said. Johnson-Roberson, who oversees the work being done there, modestly describes his job as “moving obstacles out of the way for people doing the creative work,” meaning faculty and students, both graduate and undergraduate.

The RI is a global leader in robotics, and the “laboratory” on Murray Ave. will be working on some of the world’s most cutting-edge robotics research. “This is a great time for robotics,” Johnson-Roberson said. “In the last 20 years the field has expanded quite a bit. So, we’re growing rapidly and hiring like crazy.” There are now more than 60 faculty members in the School of Computer Science at CMU specializing in robotics, and more than 1,000 students at all levels.

“We took three faculty research groups here,” he said. “And it’s really hard to pry people away from campus. But this location works because it’s easy to go back and forth to campus, good connectivity, plus access to food and retail.”

So that explains how the laboratory got to Squirrel Hill, but what about Johnson-Roberson himself? He was born in New York City and had an interest in robotics right from the get-go. “I liked video games as a kid and thought I might want to be a video game programmer,” he said. “But I was also social and wanted to be out in the world. For me, robotics was the integration of programming computers and being outside building things with my hands and seeing them work in the real world.”

He first came to CMU as an undergrad in 2001 and studied under the famed roboticist Red Whittaker. In 1979, CMU became the first university in the world to establish a robotics department. It was also the first to offer a doctoral program in robotics, in 1988. By the way, Whittaker is still a formidable presence at the RI, now working on “going to the moon and working on rovers and launch vehicles—astro-robotics,” JohnsonRoberson said.

After he graduated, Johnson-Roberson moved to Australia for his postgraduate work, eventually returning to CMU in 2021 to head the RI. He now lives in Shadyside with his wife and 10-month-old daughter.

“There’s a vibrant robotics community in Pittsburgh,” he said, explaining what brought him back to the city and to CMU. “We’re now in an era where we’re integrating and incorporating tech tools into the creative process, and that’s exciting.”

FRIDA, a robot that collaborates with humans to produce paintings.

As a result, Pittsburgh is now a major hub of robotic activity. A stretch from lower Lawrenceville to the Strip District is being called “Robotics Row” because of the robotics-based businesses located there, many of which were founded by RI graduates.

But let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. What’s actually going on among the three research teams now working behind closed doors at 1723 Murray Ave.? The project leaders are Computer Science professors—Jean Oh, Zac Manchester and Sebastian Scherer. Simply put, Oh’s team is working on robots that collaborate with humans. Manchester’s group is focusing on robots that work in space. And Scherer’s researchers are advancing technology for drones. As you’d expect, it’s all far more completed than that, but you get the idea.

As for the future, the accelerating merger of the robotics world and the human world is inevitable. For those of us old enough to remember the cartoon show “The Jetsons” from the ’60s,’70s, and ’80s, back then it was a fantasy world of robotics. Today, it’s becoming a reality. By the way, Johnson-Roberson bought a Rosie the Robot toy for his infant daughter. Rosie was a household do-it-all assistant on the show, and something similar might be in our homes sooner than we think.

But no matter what’s down the road, Johnson-Roberson says it’ll be accessible to all of us. “Everybody can look at a robot and have a good understanding of what it’s doing,” he said.

Alas, nothing comes without a price. There are real ethical questions about robots. What are the societal components and implications? What about issues of privacy and personal protection? How can transparency be maintained so we can know what data is being collected, and from where? Fortunately, the RI’s curriculum includes courses on ethics in robotics, and students are interested in them. According to Johnson-Roberson, today’s students “are aware of the ethical concerns. They come to us now with a strong desire to discuss those questions,” he said. “They’re engaged ethically and want to know, ‘Am I going to have made the world a better place at the end of my career?’”

It’s all happening behind the doors that used to be the entrance to Barnes & Noble, which raises one final question.

What does it say about our world today that a bookstore has been replaced by a robotics laboratory? Says Johnson-Roberson, “I’m not certain, but believe me, the irony is not lost on us.”

Go1, a four-legged, dog-like robot at rest.

Matthew Johnson-Roberson, Director of the Robotics Institute