Robotics Academy Prepares Sailors for Real-World Tech Challenges

At the edge of a lakeshore, two U.S. Navy sailors use amphibious robots to map the terrain. Nearby, others guide a reconnaissance vehicle through a maze, identifying simulated hazards along the way. These aren’t military drills — they’re the final exercises of an advanced robotics training program led by Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Academy.

In collaboration with the Office of Naval Research, CMU recently completed its second cohort of training under the Navy’s new robotics specialist initiative. The hands-on, six-week course is designed to equip sailors with the skills to rapidly understand and adapt to evolving autonomous systems — including those powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

“With the fast pace of technology and the ever-shifting nature of conflict with adversaries, our sailors need the underlying skills and understanding to learn quickly,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mike Natali, program director at the Office of Naval Research. “This effort has developed and tested the methods to do so.”

A Curriculum for a Changing Battlefield

The Navy’s robotics specialist rating reflects a broader shift from single-system expertise to multi-platform versatility. The CMU program emphasizes core principles of robotics — such as systems thinking, sensing, perception, and control — that apply across all domains: land, air, and sea.

“Once you grasp the shared concepts behind robotics systems, it’s much easier to learn any specific platform,” explained Ross Higashi, principal investigator and co-director for research at CMRA.

Participants moved through a spiral curriculum that increased in technical complexity — from building circuits to troubleshooting and deploying AI-assisted drones and vehicles. Each module was tied to a unique robot platform, offering experience with nearly a dozen systems across environments.

Putting Skills to the Test

The course culminated in a field competition where sailors tackled real-world challenges. In one event, they were given just a few hours to master a new robotic vehicle and complete a reconnaissance mission in a tented “grid,” analyzing collected data for key targets.

In a more advanced challenge, they trained a “grey box” machine vision model to identify objects in long video sequences — essentially adapting AI in the field to fit the mission’s demands.

Sailors trained through CMU’s program significantly outperformed their peers, especially on the AI task, highlighting the program’s practical impact.

Beyond the Textbook

Sailors praised the training’s hands-on nature and its focus on real-world problem-solving. Many found it more relevant and applicable than traditional classroom or manual-based instruction.

“This is what I’m actually doing at work,” one active-duty unmanned surface vehicle operator said.

With two cohorts now complete, CMU researchers are evaluating long-term retention and analyzing which parts of the curriculum most effectively prepare sailors for emerging autonomous systems. The success of the program points to the possibility that these methods — and even the curriculum itself — could soon become part of official Navy training.

As warfare and technology evolve, CMU’s Robotics Academy is helping ensure that America’s sailors evolve with it — fast, flexible, and AI-ready.

By:
Vraj Parikh