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Interaction with the Physical World

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

Robotic arm feeding seated person a strawberry on a fork with an inset image of the robot mapping features of their face

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.

Professor Dieter Fox and a student demonstrate a remote operated robotic arm attempting to pick up a block

Robotics and State Estimation Lab

We are interested in the development of computing systems that interact with the physical world in an intelligent way. To investigate such systems, we focus on problems in robotics and activity recognition.


Faculty Members

Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct Faculty


Centers & Initiatives

Block W logo next to Amazon smile logo

Amazon + UW Science Hub

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.

CREATE logo with avatar of person with mechanical arm holding up a lightbulb next to the word CREATE with wording underneath spelling out Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences University of Washington

Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE)

The mission of the UW Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) is to make technology accessible and the world accessible through technology. By bringing together researchers from across the campus, CREATE harnesses the diverse expertise necessary to realize a more just and equitable technological future, one that overcomes existing barriers and ensures new ones do not arise.

Highlights