# Rodney Brooks

> Australian roboticist

**Wikidata**: [Q92809](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q92809)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Brooks)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/rodney-brooks

## Summary

Rodney Brooks was born on December 30, 1954, in Adelaide [1][2]. He works as a computer scientist, engineer, university teacher, roboticist, artificial intelligence researcher, and mathematician [3]. His professional fields include robotics, artificial intelligence, informatics, and mathematics [3].Brooks was employed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1984 to 2008 and also worked at Carnegie Mellon University . He holds the distinction of being an ACM Fellow, AAAI Fellow, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Corresponding Member of the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences [4][5][6][7].

## Summary
Rodney Brooks is an Australian roboticist and computer scientist known for pioneering behavior-based robotics and co-founding iRobot and Rethink Robotics. He is a former director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and a leading figure in artificial intelligence and robotics research.

## Biography
- Born: December 30, 1954, Adelaide, Australia
- Nationality: Australian
- Education: Flinders University (Australia), Stanford University (PhD)
- Known for: Behavior-based robotics, co-founding iRobot and Rethink Robotics
- Employer(s): MIT (1984-2008), Carnegie Mellon University, Rethink Robotics
- Field(s): Robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, informatics

## Contributions
Rodney Brooks revolutionized robotics through his development of behavior-based robotics, which emphasizes decentralized control systems where robots react to their environment rather than following pre-programmed instructions. His work at MIT's AI Lab led to the creation of robots like Genghis and Attila, which demonstrated new approaches to robot locomotion and behavior. Brooks co-founded iRobot in 1990, which became a leading robotics company known for products like the Roomba vacuum cleaner. In 2008, he founded Rethink Robotics, developing collaborative robots like Baxter and Sawyer designed to work safely alongside humans in manufacturing settings. His research papers, including "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control" (1989), have been highly influential in shaping modern robotics philosophy and practice.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Rodney Brooks most famous for?
A: Rodney Brooks is most famous for pioneering behavior-based robotics and co-founding iRobot, the company that created the Roomba vacuum cleaner.

### Q: Where did Rodney Brooks work?
A: Brooks worked at MIT from 1984 to 2008, where he was director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and he also taught at Carnegie Mellon University.

### Q: What companies did Rodney Brooks found?
A: Rodney Brooks co-founded iRobot in 1990 and Rethink Robotics in 2008.

## Why They Matter
Rodney Brooks fundamentally changed how we think about robotics by shifting from centralized control systems to behavior-based approaches that allow robots to interact more naturally with their environment. His work made robots more adaptable, robust, and practical for real-world applications. The success of iRobot and products like Roomba brought robotics into millions of homes, while his research at MIT advanced the field's theoretical foundations. Brooks' influence extends beyond his own inventions through his students, including Cynthia Breazeal and Maja Matarić, who have become leaders in robotics themselves. His philosophy of "fast, cheap, and out of control" robotics has shaped how modern robots are designed for applications ranging from space exploration to manufacturing.

## Notable For
- Co-founding iRobot, creator of the Roomba vacuum cleaner
- Developing behavior-based robotics paradigm
- Receiving the IEEE Founders Medal in 2023
- Being elected Fellow of the ACM, AAAI, IEEE, and multiple national academies
- Authoring the influential paper "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control" (1989)

## Body
### Early Career and Education
Rodney Brooks earned his PhD from Stanford University after completing undergraduate studies at Flinders University in Australia. He joined MIT in 1984, where he would spend the next 24 years advancing robotics research.

### Behavior-Based Robotics
Brooks challenged the prevailing AI paradigm of the 1980s by proposing that intelligence emerges from simple behaviors rather than complex reasoning. His subsumption architecture allowed robots to exhibit sophisticated behaviors through layered control systems without centralized planning.

### iRobot and Commercial Success
In 1990, Brooks co-founded iRobot with Colin Angle and Helen Greiner. The company developed military robots like the PackBot and eventually achieved massive consumer success with the Roomba robotic vacuum, which has sold over 30 million units worldwide.

### Rethink Robotics
Brooks founded Rethink Robotics in 2008 to create collaborative robots designed to work safely alongside humans. The company's robots, Baxter and Sawyer, featured advanced safety systems and intuitive programming interfaces, though the company ceased operations in 2018.

### Academic Leadership
As director of MIT's CSAIL from 1997 to 2007, Brooks oversaw significant growth in AI and robotics research. He supervised numerous PhD students who became influential researchers themselves, including Cynthia Breazeal (social robotics) and Maja Matarić (socially assistive robotics).

### Publications and Patents
Brooks has authored hundreds of research papers and holds numerous patents in robotics and AI. His 1986 paper "A Robust Layered Control System for a Mobile Robot" established the foundation for behavior-based robotics.

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## References

1. Davos 2014 Participant List
2. Integrated Authority File
3. datos.bne.es
4. Czech National Authority Database
5. [Source](https://awards.acm.org/fellows/award-recipients)
6. [Source](https://aaai.org/about-aaai/aaai-awards/the-aaai-fellows-program/elected-aaai-fellows/)
7. [Source](https://www.science.org.au/profile/rodney-brooks)
8. [Source](https://www.ieee.org/content/dam/ieee-org/ieee/web/org/about/awards/recipients/founders-rl.pdf)
9. Mathematics Genealogy Project
10. International Standard Name Identifier
11. Virtual International Authority File
12. CiNii Research
13. MusicBrainz
14. NNDB
15. SNAC
16. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
17. Davos 2015 Participant List