Robin Murphy


Robin Roberson Murphy is an American computer scientist and roboticist. She is the Raytheon Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. She is known as a founder of the fields of rescue robotics and human-robot interaction and for inserting robots into disasters. Her case studies of how unmanned systems under perform in the field led cognitive engineer to pose the Murphy's Law of Autonomy: a deployment of robotic systems will fall short of the target level of autonomy, creating or exacerbating a shortfall in mechanisms for coordination with human problem holders. Her TED talk was listed in as one of the examples of a good TED talk. Murphy is also known for using science fiction as an innovative method of teaching artificial intelligence and robotics.

Early years and education

Murphy was raised in Douglas, Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1980, worked in the process safety industry, and returned to Georgia Tech for a master's and PhD. in computer science under the direction of Ronald Arkin. She was the first person to graduate from the Georgia Tech College of Computing with a PhD in robotics. She was an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines from 1992 to 1998, then moved to the University of South Florida as an associate professor in 1998 and was promoted to full professor in 2003. In 2008, Murphy moved to Texas A&M University. She was a member of the Defense Science Study Group from 1997 to 1998; this led to her involvement on numerous science boards, including the Defense Science Board and the US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.

Career in robotics

Disaster robotics

Murphy began research into disaster robotics in 1995, motivated by the Oklahoma City bombing. Murphy was the director of the from 2002 to 2018, and now serves as the vice-president. Through CRASAR she participated in the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster, considered the first use of robots for the emergency response phase of a disaster. Since then she has helped insert unmanned ground, aerial, and marine systems into 27 disasters including Hurricane Katrina, which is considered the first use of small unmanned aerial systems, the Fukishima Daiichi nuclear accident, the Tōhoku tsunami, the Syrian Boat Refugee crisis, and Hurricane Harvey. She wrote the seminal text , MIT Press, in 2014.

Science Fiction