By Scott Kirsner
Raibert Opens Pop-Up Robot Lab to Inspire and Educate
Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics and current executive director of the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI), has launched a temporary Robot Lab at CambridgeSide mall. The pop-up isn’t selling robots; instead, it gives the public hands-on experience with robotics to show what they can truly do beyond Hollywood portrayals.
Visitors can:
- Operate a Spot robot in a simulated apartment
- See early walking robots from the 1980s and a full-sized Atlas robot
- Watch a robot dance performance
- Share their thoughts about robots via an interactive survey
The initiative aims to highlight the positive side of robotics, spark interest among students in STEM careers, and potentially explore larger-scale interactive experiences in the future. Despite minimal promotion, the lab attracts around 100 visitors per day. Raibert envisions this concept evolving into a permanent location or even a traveling interactive robot show.