Advances in low- and no-power sensing, communication and interaction technologies offer new possibilities for blending digital innovation with our physical environment.
From gesture recognition that allows people to interact with objects in new ways, to low-power sensors that collect and transmit data about temperature, air quality, urban accessibility and more, our researchers are tapping into the potential of computation to transform how we experience the world around us.
Research Groups & Labs
Personal Robotics Lab
Our mission is to develop the fundamental building blocks of perception, manipulation, learning, and human-robot interaction to enable robots to perform complex physical manipulation tasks under clutter and uncertainty with and around people.
Robot Learning Lab
The Robot Learning Lab works on foundational research in machine learning, AI and robotics to develop intelligent robotic systems that can perceive, plan and act in complex environments and improve performance with experience.
Faculty Members
Centers & Initiatives
Society + Technology is a cross-campus, cross-disciplinary initiative and community at the University of Washington that is dedicated to research, teaching and learning focused on the social, societal and justice dimensions of technology.
The Science Hub supports a broad set of programs — including fellowships for doctoral students, collaboration among researchers and support for collaborative research events — designed to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and engineering in the Seattle area.
Highlights
UW News
Iyer, co-director of the interdisciplinary CS for the Environment Initiative, was recognized among the 2026 class of fellows for his early-career efforts to address sustainability challenges — from recyclable electronics, to battery-free robotics, to AI-optimized hardware design.
Allen School News
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recognized Kemelmacher-Shlizerman for her “contributions to face, body, and clothing modeling from large image collections,” including pioneering virtual try-on tools and bringing the technology to the mainstream.
Allen School News
The team co-led by professor emeritus Richard Ladner examined how people with visual and motor disabilities select, adapt and use mobile devices in their everyday lives. Since its publication in 2009, the findings have helped guide new innovations in mobile device accessibility.