Distinguished Emeritus and QUT Adjunct Professor Peter Corke has won the prestigious 2025 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award in the Education category.
Professor Corke, who retired from QUT last year after 14 years leading robotics research, was honoured as a true pioneer in robotics education who has empowered generations through open source 'Robotics Toolbox' software, a bestselling book, and online education resources and research that have become foundational around the world.
In bestowing the award, which Professor Corke will receive at a ceremony in Detroit, Michigan, on May 14, the judges said his contributions had shaped how robots are built, integrated and taught.
"Being recognised with an Engelberger Award for my contributions to robotics education is easily one of the biggest highlights of my career," said Professor Corke, who was the founding director of the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, a national ARC-funded Centre of Excellence established at QUT in 2014.
"I've always believed that making robotics knowledge accessible to all is crucial for advancing the industry.
"Within the field of robotics, the Engelberger awards are the pinnacle. I am very honoured to receive this recognition for the robotics education work that I was able to do with the support of my colleagues at QUT."
Professor Corke joined QUT in January 2010, after heading a 50-strong team researching mining, ground, aerial and underwater robotics at CSIRO.
His research has encompassed everything from creating advanced robotic systems that fly, swim or drive in the harsh conditions of Antarctica to designing a logistics robot prototype to be used inside the International Space Station, or by the Lunar Gateway - a project involving NASA and the Canadian space robotics company MDA.
In 2017 Professor Corke was named Australian University Teacher of the Year – the country's most prestigious higher education teaching award. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2019 in recognition of his achievements in equipping robots with the ability to see which he had pioneered for a diverse range of applications including mining and environmental monitoring.
Current Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics, Professor Michael Milford, congratulated Professor Corke on the award.
"There are many ways to define his educational impact, but one is simply this: wherever I have travelled across the world, whether industrial regions of America, remote regions of China, the automotive centre of Germany or any other location, everyone says something along the lines of: "oh, you know Peter? I used his textbook/course/MOOC to get through my studies or start my research career"," Professor Milford said.
"It's quite a remarkable thing to bear witness to and it continues to this day.
"I recall my early days of teaching with Peter and the first lecture when he got up to talk robotics to the QUT engineering students. They were entranced and captivated. As was I.
"Whether it's his robotics toolbox, his textbooks, his Robot Academy, Peter's impact on the global robotics education landscape has been phenomenal and ongoing."
The Engelberger Robotics Award is the world's most prestigious robotics honour.
The awards are presented to individuals for excellence in technology development, application, education, and leadership in the robotics industry. Each winner receives a $5,000 honorarium and commemorative medallion with the inscription, "Contributing to the advancement of the science of robotics in the service of mankind".
Main image: Distinguished Emeritus and QUT Adjunct Professor Peter Corke. Photo: Anthony Weate
