Robotics at Poly

What is Robotics? Why Was Poly Late to the Party?

The Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (Brooklyn Poly), now NYU Tandon, is one of the oldest engineering institutes in the country, ranking behind only Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Pennsylvania (Jewell, Griggs, Jr., & Ressler, 2001). Brooklyn Poly is known for pioneering polymer technology, the mass production of penicillin, and the first-ever closed-chest cardiac defibrillator (Contributors, 2023). However, Poly did not begin investing in robotics (now a very large and lucrative engineering industry) until around 1975-1980 (Polytechnic Institute of New York, 1975-1976). Compared to institutions like Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Brooklyn Polytechnic was incredibly late to the game in robotics, as the earlier schools had already begun contributing to robotics research and classes in the late 1950s to early 60s (Inigo & Angulo, 1985).

So why was Brooklyn Poly so far behind in robotics research compared to other similar universities? Could it have been that they were late to the robotics investment party because the school was struggling financially and had just gone through a 1973 merger that combined two struggling institutions (Contributors, 2023)? Because Brooklyn Poly operated at a deficit until 1980, under tight budget constraints before the merger with NYU again, it is highly likely that Brooklyn Poly simply was not able to make large investments as other schools were, despite its age and reputation. However, after the second merger with NYU, the makerspace was built, labs were installed in 2008, and Poly entered into an affiliation, which was finalized in 2014 (W. Arenson, 2008).

However, what is a robot, and why should we care? Humans have been trying to figure out ways to do less work since the dawn of time. If a machine can do it for me, why would I? Machines can also perform a variety of tasks that humans cannot, such as working in environments too dangerous for us or working continuously on projects without fatigue. From the first automated loom to the modern robot vacuum cleaner (Thompson, 2021), humans have been trying to innovate “robots” since the 1800s. Robots nowadays are a major part of human innovation and contribute significantly to manufacturing/factory work, medical surgery, farming, and sanitation (Brodowicz, 2026).

Amazon Warehouse Robots (Thompson, 2021)

When we think of a “robot,” we typically envision something from a sci-fi movie, whether that be C-3PO or WALL-E, we think we know what a robot is and looks like. However, a robot can have a wide variety of classifications, as what is a robot really? Is a toaster a robot? Does it have to be a humanoid? How would an academic institution define a robot?

Robotics, also known as mechatronics, is an extremely interdisciplinary engineering field that bridges electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering with computer science. When you consider all the elements that go into creating a robot, we can think of mechanical engineering as creating the body/skeleton of the robot through 3D modeling and designing its movement and operation. Computer science can be considered the brain of the robot, programming exactly what it can do and how it interacts with its environment. Electrical and computer engineering can be considered the robot’s blood, heart, and nervous system, wiring and connecting all relevant components to power it and keep it working cohesively.

Mechatronics Venn-Diagram (Dorota, 2016)

The most clinical definition of a robot stems from Alan Winfield’s book from 2012 “Robotics: A Very Short Introduction” where he discusses three definitions of a robot which can either be: a device that is capable of sensing its environment and “purposefully act on or in that environment; some form of an embodied artificial intelligence; or a machine that can autonomously carry out useful work” (Winfield, 2012). So, by this definition, a robot is not a toaster, as it cannot carry out ‘useful’ work on its own (autonomously), cannot sense its environment and act on it, and is not some sort of physical form of artificial intelligence.

So why would investigating a university’s history of robotics matter? Considering that robotics is now a large part of modern society, and around “$90 billion worth of funding has gone into the robotics industry since 2019,” it is important to analyze when top universities began training individuals in robotics, as that likely contributed to the trend of innovation and advancement in current robotics technology (Ledenkof, 2024).

But which definition did Poly use throughout its robotics history, and what field of engineering did it decide to place robotics under? Poly had a very complicated relationship with robotics, seemingly not really caring about it or considering it an important subset of engineering until far later than other universities did, then suddenly made pushes towards robotics all at once in various ways across two major disciplines. Poly did not even seem to consider robotics an interdisciplinary field or a worthwhile engineering concentration compared to other universities until the 1980s (Polytechnic Institute of New York, 1979-1981). Where does NYU Tandon compare today with robotics? How did our robotics definitions evolve, and are we now a top-tier robotics institution? Did we ever catch up to the robotics innovation? Let’s find out.