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Portrait of Marc Raibert
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Marc Raibert

Founder and Executive Director, Robotics and AI Institute

  • Founder and Executive Director, Robotics and AI Institute13

Marc Raibert is the founder of Boston Dynamics, which Raibert spun off from the MIT Leg Laboratory in 1992, and is the founder and executive director of the Robotics and AI Institute, where Raibert is responsible for the institute's strategic roadmap for future generations of advanced robots. Before Boston Dynamics, Raibert was a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and at Carnegie Mellon University before that; in those posts Raibert created the Leg Laboratory.123

At a glance

Current role
Founder and Executive Director
Sector
Nonprofit
Fields
Robotics
Education
Carnegie Mellon, MIT
Work listed
2
Honors
3
Sources cited
3
Profile reviewed

Career

Raibert was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University and then a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and in those posts created the Leg Laboratory, which helped establish the scientific basis for highly dynamic robots. In 1992 Raibert spun Boston Dynamics off from the MIT Leg Lab, and Robert Playter joined soon after.12

Boston Dynamics' history lists BigDog (2004) as its first quadruped robot to leave the lab, the first-generation Atlas humanoid (2013), the commercial release of Spot (2020) and the unveiling of Stretch (2021). Raibert now leads the Robotics and AI Institute as executive director, setting its roadmap for advanced robots and intelligent machines.213

Work and contributions

  • Boston Dynamics Proprietary product

    Founded Boston Dynamics in 1992 as a spin-off from the MIT Leg Lab; the company went on to build BigDog, Atlas, Spot and Stretch.2

  • Leg Laboratory Published research

    Created the Leg Laboratory, which helped establish the scientific basis for highly dynamic legged robots.1

Timeline

  1. Founded Boston Dynamics as a spin-off from the MIT Leg Lab.2
  2. Boston Dynamics' BigDog became its first quadruped robot to leave the lab.2
  3. Boston Dynamics debuted the first-generation Atlas humanoid robot.2
  4. Named an IEEE Pioneer in Robotics.1

Other documented roles

Roles the sources document that are not confirmed as current.

Honors and recognition

  • Member, National Academy of Engineering · National Academy of Engineering1
  • Founding Fellow of AAAI · Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence1
  • IEEE Pioneer in Robotics · IEEE, 20221

Where they work

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References

3 sources · profile reviewed Oct 22, 2026 · data updated Oct 22, 2026

  1. Marc Raibert — Founder & Executive Director (RAI Institute leadership)Robotics and AI Institute · Official page · accessed Oct 22, 2026
  2. About Boston Dynamics (history)Boston Dynamics · Official page · accessed Oct 22, 2026
  3. About the RAI InstituteRobotics and AI Institute · Official page · accessed Oct 22, 2026