Institute for Experiential Robotics

Welcome to Northeastern University’s Institute for Experiential Robotics (IER)—a cross-disciplinary hub where engineers, computer scientists, designers, social scientists and ethicists work side-by-side to create robots that enrich human experiences. From our high-bay, basketball-court-sized lab in Boston’s new EXP complex, we prototype everything from collaborative arms and autonomous mobile robots to aerial drones and VR testbeds, all aimed at real-world impact in healthcare, manufacturing, climate science and everyday living. Guided by four pillars—embodied AI, personalized co-adaptation, seamless human-robot teaming and hands-on learning—we tackle problems from Arctic exploration to last-mile logistics, while training the next generation of roboticists through Northeastern’s renowned experiential learning model. Subscribe for demos, deep-dive talks, behind-the-scenes build videos and field reports that show how IER is turning bold research into practical, people-centered solutions.