Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Walt Disney Research stands as one of the most unexpected yet remarkably prolific contributors to cutting-edge robotics and AI, blending the creative ambitions of one of the world's most iconic entertainment companies with rigorous, world-class scientific inquiry. Operating at the intersection of human-robot interaction, biomechanical locomotion, and computational design, Disney Research has produced foundational work that reverberates well beyond the entertainment industry. The lab's contributions to legged robotics are particularly distinguished. Their series of papers on quadruped and humanoid locomotion — including notable work on the Atlas robot through the DARPA Robotics Challenge — pushed the boundaries of real-time planning, inverse dynamics control, and terrain-adaptive movement. These efforts, collectively garnering hundreds of citations, have become standard references in the legged robotics community. Disney Research has also made a lasting mark in human-robot interaction. The Robotic Social Attributes Scale (RoSAS), now with over 540 citations, has become an essential psychometric instrument for researchers studying how people perceive and relate to robots — a testament to the lab's unique positioning at the crossroads of technology and human experience. Their innovations in soft robotics — including conductive nylon artificial muscles and 3D-printed soft skin — reflect a commitment to safe, naturalistic physical interaction, while their computational co-optimization frameworks for robot design represent a forward-thinking approach to morphological engineering. For prospective collaborators and students, Disney Research offers a rare environment where entertainment-driven creativity fuels genuinely transformative science, making it an extraordinary place to pursue research with both technical depth and real-world human impact.