MIT professor and CSAIL Director Daniela Rus has been honored with the 2023 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Robotics and Automation Award. IEEE honored Rus with a bronze medal for her pioneering work towards building the foundation for distributed, networked autonomous systems.
IEEE honors innovators annually for this award based on their contributions to the robotics and automation field. The Institute noted Rus’ “design, realization, and theoretical foundations of innovative distributed, networked autonomous systems.” From robust autonomy, to soft robotics, and human-robot interfaces, Rus has made groundbreaking contributions to the field. Her research has enabled many applications in healthcare, smart living, and transportation.
Speaking to autonomy, Rus has recently innovated on numerous projects. She led research on VISTA 2.0, a photorealistic self-driving car simulator designed for deployable training and testing. Similarly, she was a senior author on Neural Circuit Policy, a brain-inspired neural network for controlling driverless cars. Rus also worked on Roboat, a full-scale, fully autonomous robotic boat that navigates Amsterdam’s canals.
Rus’ illustrious career includes winning the Engelberger Robotics Award in 2017 and fellowships from ACM, AAAI, and IEEE. She is also a Class of 2002 MacArthur Fellow, as well as a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and American Academy for Arts and Science.
