February 2026 Director Updates
As we move into a landscape where federal funding for AI and quantum computing is shifting from a single PI model to large multi-investigator efforts, we want to highlight the importance of working together with industry to tackle challenging research problems that focus on important use cases, centering on three areas: healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture.
The healthcare industry and the University of Minnesota (UMN) have a long history of groundbreaking accomplishments. One pivotal moment, for example, occurred in the late 1950s, when Dr. Earl Bakken, a co-founder of Medtronic, designed and built a compact, portable, battery-powered pacemaker at the request of Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, a leading cardiovascular surgeon at UMN. This effort marked the first time such a device was used anywhere in the world. Continuing UMN’s tradition of groundbreaking work in healthcare, the Minnesota Robotics Institute (MnRI) supports engineers, scientists, and clinicians creating innovative solutions. One example is the interdisciplinary medical device innovation project (supported by MnRI in its early stages), which is part of the strategic collaboration signed between UMN and Medtronic. Last fall, the joint team presented progress and first prototypes at a joint review meeting attended by several leaders from UMN and Medtronic. We are very proud of the UMN team, which included Andrew W. Grande MD, Timothy Kowalewski, Karthik Desingh, and numerous students who are completing their thesis work. Many more exciting results are expected.
In manufacturing, MnRI is working with companies like Honeywell and PAR Systems to create flexible manufacturing systems using the physical AI approach, which represents a departure from the model of fixed, rule-based automation used in traditional manufacturing. Rather than treating intelligence as a unit that resides in a separate computing layer, physical AI blends real-time perception, learning, autonomous decision-making, and hardware constraints to drive the actuators of physical machinery and production systems. Some examples include friction stir welding for creating high weld strength of different metals; automated fasteners to assemble/disassemble large machine parts; the sealing, bonding, and sanding of large parts to specific tolerances; and precision inspection of microfractures. A number of startups are interacting with MnRI to reap the benefits of these new approaches, and the MS in Robotics program is providing important workforce development services that have a positive impact not only in the state but in the nation overall.
Agriculture remains an important industry for Minnesota. MnRI has supported student work and seed grants to develop autonomous field monitoring systems, precision application technologies, and crop residue coverage estimation—work that has the potential to transform traditional farming practices across Minnesota’s agricultural sector. Working with companies like Sentera (now part of John Deere), the teams have created field-deployable tools for early disease detection, precision weed management, and automated soil sampling. Drone-based crop monitoring systems are integrated with ground-based robotic platforms to collect plant health data, soil moisture measurements, and pest infestation assessments. Machine learning algorithms trained on Minnesota-specific crop conditions are then embedded into these systems and connected to existing farm management software. Together, these innovations provide an abundance of data that may lead to significant financial gains and reduced environmental footprint.
MnRI’s Industrial Advisory Board is helping us to create and manage these industrial partnerships. Special thanks to Tariq Samad and Saad Bedros for helping us in running this board.
Nikos Papanikolopoulos
Minnesota Robotics Institute Director