Carnegie Mellon University will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its pioneering Robotics Institute and commemorate the first National Robotics Week with special exhibits, lectures, and demonstrations April 15-16.

The Robotics Institute, founded in 1979, is the world's largest robotics research and education center with about 350 full- and part-time employees and a $55 million annual research budget. This week is National Robotics Week, which is aimed at increasing public awareness of the growing importance of robotic technology and the tremendous social and cultural impact that it will have on the future of the United States.

Adrien Treuille, assistant professor of computer science and robotics, will discuss "Next-Generation Interactive Simulation" as he presents the Teruko Yata Memorial Lecture on Thursday, April 15, in the Gates and Hillman centers on the Carnegie Mellon campus. Treuille specializes in developing real-time computer simulation techniques, including the Emmy-nominated Draft Track effect for NASCAR broadcasts and the Foldit online game to help scientists solve the protein-folding problem.

At noon on Friday, the School of Computer Science will host the 16th annual Mobot (Mobile Robot) Races, a slalom race for small, autonomous robots on the campus that offers $1,000 for first place.

Also on Friday, the Robotics Institute's ChargeCar electric vehicle conversion project will display its electric test bed vehicle; and researchers will be displaying and demonstrating more than a dozen robots in the university's Planetary Robotics Center.