Marc Raibert

Marc Raibert (born 22 December 1949) is a leading figure in robotics and artificial intelligence. He is the Executive Director of the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI Institute), a Hyundai Motor Group organisation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In this role since April 2022, he oversees the institute’s long-term strategy focused on developing advanced robots and intelligent machines. He is also the founder and Chairman of Boston Dynamics, one of the world’s most influential robotics companies, known for creating robots such as BigDog, Atlas, Spot, Handle and SpotMini.

Raibert founded Boston Dynamics in 1992 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until March 2022. Under his leadership, the company became a global reference in dynamic robotics. Boston Dynamics was acquired by Google in 2013, later sold to SoftBank in 2017, and then acquired by Hyundai Motor Group in 2020. Raibert remained involved throughout these transitions and continues to guide the company’s long-term direction.

Before founding Boston Dynamics, Raibert held academic roles at two major institutions. He was an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University from 1981 to 1985, where he founded the Leg Laboratory in 1980. The lab played a key role in establishing the scientific foundations of dynamic robotic movement. He later became Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1986 to 1995. His research produced the first self-balancing hopping robots, which influenced modern legged robotics.

Raibert earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in 1973 and completed his PhD at MIT in 1977. His doctoral thesis, Motor Control and Learning by the State Space Model, was supervised by Berthold K.P. Horn and Whitman Richards. Earlier in his career, he worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1977 to 1980 as a member of technical staff.

Raibert holds several robotics patents, including inventions related to robotic actuators and jumping mechanisms. He is a Founding Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a member of the National Academy of Engineering (elected in 2008), recipient of the IEEE Pioneer in Robotics Award in 2022, and winner of the Engelberger Award in Technology. He has delivered keynote speeches and presented at major international conferences and forums on robotics and artificial intelligence.

Marc Raibert was born on 22 December 1949. He developed an early interest in engineering and science which later shaped his career in robotics and artificial intelligence. He studied Electrical Engineering at Northeastern University, where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in 1973. He then joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completing his PhD in 1977. His doctoral thesis, titled Motor Control and Learning by the State Space Model, was supervised by Berthold K.P. Horn and Whitman Richards. His research focused on how machines can learn and control movement, which became the basis of much of his later work in robotics.

After completing his doctorate, Raibert joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1977 as a member of technical staff, where he worked until 1980. During this period, he contributed to advanced engineering projects and further developed his knowledge of robotic systems and control technologies. In 1981, he joined Carnegie Mellon University as an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department and the Robotics Institute. While at Carnegie Mellon, he founded the Leg Laboratory in 1980, which became one of the first research centres dedicated to the study of dynamic robotic movement. The work done at this laboratory established important scientific foundations for robots that can move with balance, speed, and stability. During this time, Raibert developed the first self-balancing hopping robots, which marked a major step forward in robotics research.

In 1986, Raibert moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he became Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He continued his research on robot motion, balance, and control, and trained many engineers and researchers who later became leaders in robotics. His work during this period directly influenced the future of legged robots used in industry and research.

In 1992, Raibert founded Boston Dynamics. He served as its Chief Executive Officer from 1992 until March 2022 and later became Chairman of the company. Under his leadership, Boston Dynamics created some of the most well-known robots in the world, including BigDog, Atlas, Spot, Handle, and SpotMini. These machines demonstrated new possibilities for robots operating in real environments, including walking on rough ground, carrying heavy loads, and performing complex physical tasks. The company became a global reference point for robotics innovation.

In December 2013, Boston Dynamics was acquired by Google. Raibert welcomed the acquisition, noting the opportunity to work with large-scale resources and long-term technical goals. In 2017, the company was sold to SoftBank, and in 2020 it was acquired by Hyundai Motor Group. Throughout these changes, Raibert remained actively involved in guiding the company’s research and development direction.

In April 2022, Raibert became Executive Director of the Robotics and AI Institute, a research organisation created by Hyundai Motor Group and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In this role, he is responsible for the institute’s strategic roadmap, with the goal of developing future generations of advanced robots and intelligent machines. His work continues to focus on robotics, artificial intelligence, motion control, and machine intelligence.

Raibert holds several important patents in robotics. These include the Actuator System patent issued in 2012 and the Robot Apparatus and Method for Controlling Jumping of Robot Device patent issued in 2002, which contributed to improved robotic movement and control systems. His inventions have influenced the design of modern robotic platforms.

He is a Founding Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008 for his contributions to biomechanically motivated analysis and control of multi-legged robots. In 2022, he was named IEEE Pioneer in Robotics and received the Engelberger Award in Technology for his lifetime contributions to the field.

Raibert has spoken at major international conferences and events, including TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics, the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, and Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum. His work and research have shaped the direction of modern robotics and continue to influence the development of intelligent machines worldwide.

Marc Raibert’s vision is to advance robotics and artificial intelligence to create machines that can operate safely, reliably, and usefully in real human environments. His work focuses on building robots that move with balance, control, and intelligence, allowing them to assist people in industry, healthcare, logistics, disaster response, and everyday life. He believes that intelligent machines should extend human capability and reduce physical risk in difficult tasks. Through long-term research, careful engineering, and strong collaboration between science and industry, his goal is to develop future generations of robots that can think, learn, and act effectively, while supporting economic growth and technological progress across societies.

Marc Raibert has received major international recognition for his contributions to robotics and artificial intelligence. In 2025, he received the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award for pioneering and leading the field of dynamic legged locomotion. In 2023, he was named among the TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI for his role in advancing the integration of artificial intelligence with physical robotics. He received the Engelberger Robotics Award in Technology in 2022, one of the highest honours in robotics, and the IEEE Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award in the same year. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, is a Founding Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and has led robots inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame.