المملكة: With tremendous technologies… KAUST launches the integrated robotics laboratory

The laboratory, which opened on October 13, 2025, is located on an area 1000square meters inside the university campus, and is a strategic addition that contributes to developing future technologies and enabling innovation in multiple sectors.

Integrated Robotics Laboratory

Professor Gianluca Setti, Dean of the Department of Computer, Electrical and Computational Sciences and Engineering at KAUST, confirmed that “Robotics and automation represent two essential elements in the digital transformation plan for Saudi Arabia, and through the launch of the laboratory (Robotics Bay) KAUST confirms its commitment to advancing technical innovation and providing solutions that contribute to strengthening the national economy"

The laboratory is supervised by Professor Eric Fearon and Assistant Professor Shinkyo Park. The facility aims to establish a research and leadership culture in the field of robotics, and to enhance cooperation between researchers, students, faculty members, and partners from inside and outside the Kingdom..

Veron explained that “the most important element in the laboratory is the presence of a common and exceptional development space, which enables groups of researchers to work in parallel and exchange ideas within a stimulating creative environment.”"

Wide central experiments for robotic aircraft

The facility contains a large central experimentation arena for robotic aircraft and ground robots, surrounded by specialized laboratories to support research and development.

It was also designed to accommodate experiments on air, ground and underwater platforms in one environment, equipped with ports. 400 volt electrical and advanced motion capture systems.

The laboratory also includes modern prototyping tools such as 3D printers, computer numerical control machines and welding stations, allowing the development of a new generation of smart machines in cooperation with national and industrial partners.

Smart Cities Projects

The Robotics Laboratory contributes directly to the development of technologies supporting smart city projects, autonomous transportation, advanced infrastructure, and public services, in line with the Kingdom’s technical priorities.

Veron explained that the facility provides an ideal environment for conducting miniature, multi-modal mobility experiments, and also allows integration with the «The testing ground for the future of transportation» At KAUST, which is the first advanced platform for land, air and sea transportation technologies.

He pointed out that the laboratory will be the most appropriate place to build miniature models of this platform and test ideas before implementing them in reality, thus enhancing applied innovation in the fields of transportation and advanced technologies.

Preparing national competencies

The Robotics Laboratory is a center for qualifying the next generation of specialists in robotics and artificial intelligence, as it contributes to preparing national competencies in advanced technical sectors and reducing reliance on imported expertise, as well as developing robotic applications that serve the service sectors. Logistics, agriculture, inspection and defense.

Research at KAUST covers rapid ground and aerial robotics, human-robot collaboration, multirobot swarms, and marine robotics, bringing the facility to comparison with the world’s leading robotics centers such as the University of California at San Diego, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and the University of California. michigan.

Veron emphasized that “the facility’s enormous size and advanced internal positioning system make it (Robotics Bay) An ideal environment for all research activities in mobile robots, and an essential pillar in the ongoing revolution in personal mobility technologies."

With this opening, KAUST continues to consolidate its position as a global center for research and innovation, and a major supporter of achieving the goals of technical and economic transformation in the Kingdom..