Carnegie Mellon University Selects OptiTrack as Motion Capture Technology Partner for New Robotics Innovation Center | RoboticsTomorrow

OptiTrack, a leading provider of 3D motion capture systems, has announced a multi-year technology partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to outfit two key research spaces at the newly opened Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) with advanced motion capture capabilities. The collaboration brings together 92 high-performance cameras across the RIC’s indoor Motion Capture Studio and its outdoor Drone Cage, enabling researchers to track objects with micron-level precision.

The partnership unites two institutions at the forefront of their fields. Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, founded in 1979 as the first university robotics department globally, is consistently ranked among the top programs worldwide. OptiTrack, established in 1996, has spent nearly three decades engineering motion capture systems trusted by thousands of research organizations.

State-of-the-Art Facilities at Hazelwood Green

The Robotics Innovation Center held its grand opening on February 27, 2026, showcasing CMU’s leadership in robotics, physical AI, and technology deployment. The 150,000-square-foot facility is located at Hazelwood Green, a revitalized area on the former site of Pittsburgh’s historic Jones & Laughlin Steel Mill. It includes a 50,000-square-foot robotics testing floor, an aquatic research lab, a motion capture studio, and a 6,000-square-foot outdoor drone cage.

Precision Systems for Indoor and Outdoor Research

The indoor Motion Capture Studio is equipped with 28 PrimeX41 cameras and 4 Prime Color reference cameras, delivering micron-level accuracy across its 2,800-square-foot volume. The outdoor Drone Cage features 60 VersaX120 cameras—OptiTrack’s highest-resolution outdoor model, built with IP66-rated weather protection—covering the full cage up to its 38-foot ceiling. Both systems incorporate OptiTrack’s proprietary ActiveIO Tracking technology, which uniquely identifies and tracks hundreds of objects simultaneously.

Leadership Perspectives on the Collaboration

“We are proud to partner with CMU’s world-class robotics program. This groundbreaking collaboration validates what our customers already know: OptiTrack leads in precision, scalability, and reliability—powered by the most advanced motion capture technology in the industry,” said Sidney Rittenberg, CEO of OptiTrack.

“The future of robotics, physical AI and extended reality will be forged at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Innovation Center. We are excited to partner with OptiTrack to put their industry-leading motion capture technology in the hands of our researchers,” said Martial Hebert, Dean of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. “Whether tracking multi-robot systems, drone swarms or human movement, OptiTrack’s suite of cameras and sensors will enable a new generation of discovery.”

Driving Next-Generation Robotics Research

The systems will support a broad range of RIC research programs, including autonomous aerial robotics and multi-robot coordination through CMU’s AirLab, robotic imitation learning and human activity modeling led by Associate Research Professor Kris Kitani, and work aligned with the university’s recently announced Physical AI Accelerator—a state-backed initiative merging robotics, sensing, and intelligent systems.

OptiTrack has also joined Carnegie Mellon’s Extended Reality Technology Center (XRTC) as a sponsor. Launched in 2023, the XRTC brings together researchers, industry partners, and consumers to advance virtual, augmented, and extended reality technologies. Researchers in the XRTC plan to use the OptiTrack equipment at the RIC to recreate movement in virtual environments.

The source for this article is https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/07/07/carnegie-mellon-university-selects-optitrack-as-motion-capture-technology-partner-for-new-robotics-innovation-center/26811/.