Robot developed by Dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar named in Robot Hall of Fame

One of the main researchers to develop the robot car was Charles E. Thorpe, Ph.D., Dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and former head of the Robotics Institute.

'This is really cool. It's great to be the first to do something and be recognized for the impact our robot can have,' says Thorpe.

Since 1984, Thorpe and his colleagues have developed 11 NavLab robotic vehicles with applications including off-road scouting, automated highways, run-off-road collision prevention and driver assistance for maneuvering in crowded city environments.

Thorpe says there are two main reasons for NavLab's work: building better robots and the development of safety technology. 'There is robotic technology out there on the roads now that can save lives. It's the creation and development of this technology that drives the field of robotics,' he says.

A unique feature about the Robot Hall of Fame is that it inducts both real and fictional robots. Past inductees have included C-3PO and R2-D2 from the Star Wars movies, HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, ASIMO the humanoid robot created by Honda and The Mars Pathfinder Sojourner Rover, a lightweight machine on wheels that accomplished a revolutionary feat on the surface of Mars.

NavLab 5 was one of four robots named to the Robot Hall of Fame this year. Inducted along with NavLab 5 are the Raibert Hopper, which explored principles of dynamic balance that are central to agile movement by bipedal and quadrapedal robots, the LEGO® Mindstorm, a robotic kit that made robots accessible to the masses and the fictional Lt. Cmdr. Data, an android with super strength and a super memory that was portrayed by actor Brent Spiner during the 1987-1994 run of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation.'

The Robot Hall of Fame was created by Carnegie Mellon University in April 2003 to call attention to the increasing contributions from robots to human society. It recognizes excellence in robotics technology worldwide and honors the fictional and real robots that have inspired and made breakthrough accomplishments in robotics.

Each year, Carnegie Mellon University assembles a jury of scholars, researchers, writers, designers and entrepreneurs from around the world to select real and fictional robots for recognition and induction into the Robot Hall of Fame. The robot inductees are honored at an annual induction ceremony conducted by Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science in association with the Robotics Institute and the Entertainment Technology Center.

The Robot Hall of Fame will soon have a new home as the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh has announced plans to open a robotics exhibition in the spring of 2009 that will be the largest and most comprehensive of its kind nationwide.

The $3.4m exhibition, called Roboworld, will encompass an array of mechanized devices, including an industrial welder that's been modified to pick up basketballs and shoot them through a hoop. The Robot Hall of Fame will have its own exhibit area in the museum and will welcome thousands of visitors each year.

To further expand the field of robotics and autonomous vehicles to the Gulf Region, Thorpe and other robotics experts at Carnegie Mellon University are currently talking with Qatari officials to find ways to start robotics research programs in Doha.