MassRobotics has announced the recipients of its 2025 Robotics Medal and Rising Star Medal at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Atlanta. The awards recognise outstanding women whose work is shaping the future of robotics across research, healthcare, human–robot interaction, and physical AI systems.
The Robotics Medal carries a $50,000 prize, while the Rising Star Medal includes a $5,000 award aimed at supporting emerging leaders in the field.
2025 Robotics Medal Recipient
The 3rd Annual Robotics Medal, sponsored by Amazon Robotics, was awarded to Maja Matarić, Chaired and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering.
Dr. Matarić was recognised for her pioneering contributions to socially assistive robotics and her foundational work in distributed robotics and learning within human–robot systems. Her research has significantly advanced how robots interact with and support people, particularly in healthcare and rehabilitation contexts.
Rising Star in Robotics
The 2025 Rising Star Medal was presented to Tania Morimoto, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Morimoto was honoured for her innovative work in soft and flexible medical robotics, as well as human–machine interfaces designed to expand access to high-quality care. Her research represents a new generation of robotics focused on adaptability, safety, and patient-centred solutions.
Advancing Diversity in Robotics
Established in 2022 through an endowment by Amazon Robotics, the Robotics Medal initiative seeks to celebrate excellence while encouraging broader participation from women and underrepresented groups in robotics.
According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, women represent 48% of the overall workforce but only 34% of the STEM workforce—and just 16% in engineering and robotics roles. The awards aim to address this imbalance by elevating role models whose technical achievements inspire the next generation.
A Global Robotics Ecosystem
Since its founding in 2017, MassRobotics has evolved from a Massachusetts-based incubator into a global robotics hub. Today, it houses more than 95 startups at its Boston facility, with over half coming from outside the state and 25% from outside the United States.
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