The International Center for Actuators and Transducers at Penn State University has developed robotic actuators to automate refineries, nuclear power plants and automobiles since 1992. The United States Department of Homeland Security, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the National Science Foundation paid for a study of graphene field effect robotic transistors and their ability to detect, identify and measure nuclear radiation in the Radiation and Science Engineering Center. Penn State offers extensive quantification courses with its robotic engineering degrees. Quantification courses include: C++ computer programming, advanced C++ development and implementation of algorithms, Fortran, spreadsheets and databases, trigonometry, statistical analysis, linear algebra, matrices, symbolic logic, biostatistics, calculus and calculus in education, biology or natural science. Graduate degrees, both M.S. and Ph.D., are offered in aerospace engineering, agricultural and biological engineering, applied behavior analysis, architectural engineering and integrated programs, astrobiology, astronomy and astrophysics.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineering at University of California Los Angeles researches robotic microsurgery in the 3,700-square-foot Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology. Motors, 1.5 mm long, are used in medical microsurgery. Robotics assist in minimally invasive exploratory surgery and in partial breast cancer radiation therapy. UCLA offers robotics courses in the following B.S. M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs: aerospace engineering, bioengineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, materials science and mechanical engineering. UCLA offers robotics courses in the following B.S.-only degree programs: bioengineering and computer science engineering. UCLA offers robotics courses in its M.S. and Ph.D. biomedical engineering program. UCLA offers M.S.-only degrees in engineering and manufacturing engineering. UCLA offers an online M.S. in engineering.
Since 1979, the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute has created robots equipped with sensors, data and algorithms to explore uncertain areas and transmit data to researchers. Carnegie Mellon has more than 50 full-time professors teaching robotics. Carnegie Mellon offers both master's and doctoral programs in robotics. At Carnegie Mellon the undergraduate minor in robotics is associated with the B.S. or B.A. in computer science. Carnegie Mellon also offers three kindergarten to 12th grade programs(C-MITES). C-Mites classes can be taught in K to 12 schools, and C-Mites tests are available.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Control, Instrumentation, and Robotics (CIR), robotics includes understanding physics and applying behavioral principles to optical, acoustic and image processing algorithms. The CIR conducts research to replace biological muscles with synthetic polymer muscle actuators. MIT offers three undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering, which includes robotic courses. Master's and doctoral programs are offered in mechanical engineering, engineering in manufacturing, naval engineering, ocean engineering, naval architecture, marine engineering and oceanographic engineering.