New robotics and AI center ushers in a new age for GMU

George Mason University’s new multi-million dollar robotics center at the College of Engineering and Computing opened in Fairfax on April 10. This is the first time the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC) has been open to the public. The event kicked off with “Whiskey and Widgets,” where more than 400 attendees toured the facility and interacted with robots the students built and programmed at the university.

“It’s super exciting because currently, the state of Virginia does not have a facility like this,” Director Missy Cummings said. “This is the first one of its kind.”

Cummings, a former naval officer and fighter pilot with a degree in space systems engineering, is leading the new program with Co-Director Jesse Kirkpatrick, who has been at the university for almost a decade.

“The opportunity to work with Missy is one-of-a-kind,” Kirkpatrick said. “I can’t think of anyone who I would rather collaborate with than her. She is absolutely incredible.”

Student-led demonstrations included robotic arms, drones, blimps, and a four-legged robot from Boston Dynamics named Spot.

“Some (robots) are built from the ground up and some we acquire, like the Spot robot, and then we make changes to the software on the system,” Cummings said. “Any student who is interested in robotics, we add them to the team. That’s one of the reasons we are doing this showcase.”

Spot opened doors for visitors, scaled staircases, and took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony by holding a piece of silk in place. In one portion of the facility, students controlled robotic blimps that flew around the room, making passes through balloon rings. Another machine, using robotic arms, played a piano near a table serving whiskey and other refreshments.

“Robotics is the future,” said Cummings. “The world is going to reach peak population in 55 years. What that means is there (are) not going to be enough people to do all the jobs that we want or need done.”

Cummings wants to prepare students for this future by helping them learn to program machines with artificial intelligence to do the “dull, dirty and dangerous” jobs that are unsafe for humans. With this new facility, the hope is to bring students, faculty and researchers together to safely explore the world of robotics and artificial intelligence.

“The MARC will be transformative in how we teach, research and use AI,” Mason President Gregory Washington said. “Under the guidance of Dr. Cummings, this program will address the pressing need for thoughtful and responsible AI integration into various industries.”

The university launched a graduate certificate in responsible AI. It will be the only university in Virginia to join more than 200 of the nation’s leading AI stakeholders in the Department of Commerce’s initiative to support the development of trustworthy and safe AI.

“Everyone here appreciates just how burgeoning the field of autonomy and robotics is,” Dean Ken Ball said. “I’m very grateful that we have such great and talented faculty and students. Mason truly is a pacesetter in this area.”

This will not be the last time the robotics program is showcased publicly. During the last week of April, the college will host a “mini-blimp quidditch tournament” at Eagle Bank Arena, where visitors can watch student-built blimp robots in action.

“You absolutely have to take this (Responsible AI) class,” student James Yang said. “If you are interested in anything AI-related and you want to be developing the next big thing, like ChatGPT, then take this class, and it might change how you think about it.”