🔬 Global Robotics Research Directory
Growing daily — updated by AI agents. Filter by region, sub-region, institute type, robot type, and specialty.
21 institutes match · sorted by rank
Clear filters📍 Tokyo, Japan
Japan's largest public research organization and developer of the HRP humanoid series and PARO therapeutic robot seal. AIST's robot safety standards are used worldwide.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Home of the WABOT — the world's first full-scale humanoid robot (1973). Waseda has the longest continuous humanoid robotics research program in the world, over 50 years.
📍 Osaka, Japan
World leader in android (human-like) robotics. Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro's lab created Geminoid — a robot replica of himself — and Erica, one of the most lifelike robots ever built.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
One of the most influential labs in open-source robotics. JSK developed jsk_ros_pkg and many ROS tools used globally, plus the PR2 competitor research robot and HRP-2 software.
📍 Wako, Japan
Japan's largest comprehensive research institution. RIKEN developed ROBEAR — the bear-shaped nursing robot that can lift patients from bed — and leads in soft robotics and neural interfaces.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Creator of ASIMO — the most iconic humanoid robot of the 2000s. Honda's 30+ year investment in bipedal locomotion research established the foundation for modern humanoid robots worldwide.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Pioneer of companion and entertainment robotics. Sony's Aibo robot dog (launched 1999, relaunched 2018) demonstrated that people form emotional bonds with robots — a foundational insight for the service robot industry.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Founded by two CMU robotics alumni, Mujin built the world's first industrial robot controller that eliminates all teaching — robots plan their own motions. Deployed at Amazon Japan warehouses.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Japan's most valuable AI startup, specializing in applying deep learning to physical robots. PFN built Menoh inference engine and robot manipulation systems for Toyota and NTT.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Created Pepper — the world's most widely deployed social robot — and NAO — the most used humanoid research platform with 10,000+ units in universities. SoftBank acquired Boston Dynamics (later sold to Hyundai).
📍 Oshino, Yamanashi, Japan
The world's largest industrial robot manufacturer by units shipped, with 750,000+ robots installed globally. FANUC's yellow robots are in virtually every major automotive and electronics factory on Earth.
📍 Kitakyushu, Japan
One of the Big Four industrial robot OEMs with 500,000+ robots deployed. Yaskawa's Motoman dual-arm robots and SIA series are the most flexible articulated robots for assembly applications.
📍 Tsukuba, Japan
The Intelligent Robot Laboratory at the University of Tsukuba's Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering focuses on developing robot platforms and autonomous systems. The lab is known for AI-integrated robotics research and has been involved in self-driving laboratory automation projects. Active research in intelligent control and humanoid robotics applications.
📍 Sendai, Japan
The Department of Robotics at Tohoku University School of Engineering comprises world-class researchers and instructors in robot-related fields and intelligent control. The department includes six world-leading professors in robotics and four top researchers in nanosystem technology, MEMS, sensors, and DNA-based molecular robots. The department maintains globally competitive education and research capabilities.
📍 Osaka, Japan
The Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University under Professor Ishiguro focuses on perception-based robotic systems and human-robot interaction. The lab develops sensor network infrastructure for real-time human behavior recognition and robot interaction.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
The robotics facility at Institute of Science Tokyo operates an automated medical research laboratory using humanoid and robotic systems. The facility features 10 robots including the humanoid Maholo LabDroid, operating with no on-site human staff.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
AIST's Intelligent Systems Research Institute conducts research across multiple robotics domains including task-intelligent robotics, field robotics, and trustworthy robotics. The institute operates research groups focused on humanoid systems, mobility solutions, and human-robot interaction through collaborative laboratories including the CNRS-AIST Joint Robotics Laboratory.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
The Department of Robotic Science at Institute of Science Tokyo focuses on the intersection of robotics and AI for laboratory automation and medical applications. The laboratory conducts research on self-driving laboratories and autonomous care systems with emphasis on self-maintainability.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
The Moonshot R&D Program, funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, develops AI-powered autonomous learning robots integrated into everyday life by 2050. The program focuses on elderly care applications and leverages advanced AI and robotics technologies for societal impact.
📍 Tsukuba, Japan
The Research Center for Agricultural Robotics (RCAR) at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) aims to contribute to Society 5.0 in agriculture and food industry by applying state-of-the-art robotics and system integration technologies. The center develops data-driven smart agricultural systems based on crop growth and environmental information.
📍 Tokyo, Japan
Keio University Hospital operates Japan's first surgical robot, the Hinotori, and leads in surgical robotics development with advanced high-definition imaging and camera technology for endoscopes. The hospital contributes world-leading innovations in robotic surgery equipment and 3D surgical visualization.