Rodney Brooks

Dr. Rodney A. Brooks is the CTO, Chairman, and Founder of Rethink Robotics Inc. Prior to his work with Rethink Robotics Inc., he was the Panasonic Professor of Robotics at MIT and cofounder of iRobot. His research is centered on advanced artificial intelligence and computer science through transformative research, academic leadership and innovative commercialization. His research concerns the engineering of intelligent robots for unstructured environments, and human intelligence. Dr. Brooks' publications include model-based computer vision, path planning, uncertainty analysis, robot assembly, active vision, micro-actuators, planetary exploration, representation, artificial life, and humanoid robots. Rodney has been honored by election to the National Academy of Engineering, and has been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association of Computing Machinery, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Rodney is also an accomplished presenter, and speaks regularly to promote the value of robotics and artificial intelligence in venues throughout the world. He won the Computers and Thought Award at the 1991 IJCAI (International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence). In 2008 he won the IEEE Inaba Technical Award for Innovation Leading to Production. In 2014 he won the Robotics Industry Association's Engelberger Robotics Award for Leadership. And he won the 2015 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award.