robotics and autonomous systems

George Mason University’s Ciao Lab, led by Assistant Professor Ningshi Yao from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, successfully launched the Airborne Robotics Cup (ARCup) in Gaithersburg, Maryland on August 17, 2025.

As the saying goes, if you love something, set it free. If it maps an area, finds a target, delivers a package, and comes back, the trophy is yours forever. Or something like that.

Assistant Professor Xuesu Xiao received two prestigious awards for his significant contributions to robotics and leadership of the RobotiXX Lab, where he develops autonomous robots for challenging environments and supports the next generation of roboticists.

Missy Cummings, the Director of the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC) speaks to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about human blindspots when using autonomous systems technologies.

The invite-only roundtable, hosted by the College of Engineering and Computing at Mason Square, explored the issues, challenges, and solutions to think about as AI technologies rapidly evolve and change.  The roundtable was led by Missy Cummings, director of Mason’s Autonomy and Robotics Center.

17 fatalities, 736 crashes: The shocking toll of Tesla’s Autopilot

Seniors created an automated vehicle model as part of the Army Strategic Program for Innovation, Research, and Employment (ASPIRE).

Blimps filled the EagleBank Arena air at the Lighter Than Air (LTA) Defend the Republic competition in April. The winning Mason team, led by principal investigators Cameron Nowzari, Ningshi Yao, and Daigo Shishika, competed against six universities and about 50 LTA "blimps."

The College of Engineering and Computing hosts a national robotics competition at EagleBank Arena.

Missy Cummings, one of the country’s first female fighter pilots and the director of Mason’s autonomy and robotics center, calls herself a tech futurist, charged with making tech work and helping it get better. She isn’t shy about calling out bad tech either, including the vision systems in self-driving cars and Tesla’s Autopilot.