AI and Robotics Engineering: How Intelligent Machines Are Built

AI and robotics engineering merges artificial intelligence with robotics to create intelligent machines capable of autonomous decision-making and adaptive behavior. In AI and robotics engineering, the artificial intelligence (machine learning, computer vision and data analysis) decides what to do, and the robotics (the design, construction and operation of physical machines) does it. Robotics and artificial intelligence engineering, often shortened to robotics and AI engineering, is growing fast: the International Federation of Robotics counted 542,000 industrial robots installed worldwide in 2024, more than double the number ten years earlier, and 4.66 million industrial robots now in operation.

AI and robotics engineering draws on mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science at once. An AI robotics engineer needs to build the machine, wire its sensors and program the models that let it act on its own.

What Is AI and Robotics Engineering?

AI and robotics engineering is the field where two disciplines merge. Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that mimic human intelligence through machine learning algorithms, computer vision capabilities, and advanced data analysis techniques. Robotics involves the design, construction, and operation of physical machines programmed to perform tasks such as assembly line work, quality inspections, and material handling. In modern engineering contexts, these two disciplines merge to create intelligent machines capable of autonomous decision-making and adaptive behavior.

What is AI and robotics engineering in practice? It is the work of giving a robot perception (cameras, lidar, force sensors), a model that interprets what it perceives, and a control system that turns that interpretation into motion. Robotics and artificial intelligence engineering is the same field under a longer name.

How Do AI and Robotics Integrate to Create Smart Robots?

AI and robotics integrate to create smart robots through a loop of sensing, deciding and acting: sensors collect data, AI models interpret it and choose an action, and the robot's motors and actuators carry that action out. The loop repeats many times a second, so a smart robot adjusts to what it finds and keeps working when conditions change.

The three layers of a smart robot

Layer	What it does	Engineering discipline
Sense	Cameras, lidar, force and position sensors collect data	Electrical and computer engineering
Decide	Machine learning and planning models interpret the data and pick an action	Computer science
Act	Motors, joints and grippers move the machine	Mechanical engineering

Connected sensors (the Internet of Things) extend the loop beyond one robot. Sensor data from a whole factory floor can feed one model that schedules many machines at once.

What Is an Example of AI in Robotics?

The clearest example of AI in robotics is NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, which completed about 90% of its travels autonomously as of October 2024, against about 6.2% for the earlier Curiosity rover (IEEE Spectrum, reporting NASA JPL data). Perseverance maps the terrain ahead in 3D, identifies hazards and plans its own route, which is AI in robotics doing exactly what the definition describes.

More examples of AI in robotics:

Autonomous haul trucks in surface mines drive fixed routes without an onboard operator.
Vision-guided robot arms on assembly lines find and pick parts that are not in a fixed position.
Autonomous mobile robots in warehouses plan paths around people and other robots.
Inspection drones use computer vision to flag cracks and corrosion on bridges and power lines.
Planetary and lunar robots navigate terrain no human operator can reach in real time. South Dakota Mines electrical engineering students design and build lunar robots.

What Are the Benefits of AI in Robotics?

The benefits of AI in robotics are flexibility, precision and uptime: AI lets a robot handle variation that a fixed program cannot, adjust its own actions from sensor feedback, and predict equipment failure before it happens. Those benefits are why factories installed 542,000 industrial robots in 2024, according to the International Federation of Robotics, and why IFR expects 575,000 in 2025.

IFR President Takayuki Ito described the shift this way: "The transition of many industries into the digital and automated age has been marked by a huge surge in demand."

Further benefits of AI in robotics:

Predictive maintenance. Models trained on vibration and temperature data flag a failing part before it breaks.
Robots take on work in mines, on high-voltage lines and in space, where people are at risk.
Quality inspection. Computer vision checks every part, at line speed.

How Are AI and Machine Learning Used in Robotics?

AI and machine learning in robotics give a robot the ability to learn from data: computer vision models recognize objects, reinforcement learning teaches a robot a motion by trial and error, and planning algorithms choose a path through a changing space. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists robotics as a specialty of computer and information research scientists, who "study the development and application of robots", and names artificial intelligence as a driver of the occupation's 22% projected growth from 2025 to 2035.

Machine learning matters most where the robot's environment varies. A welding robot on a fixed fixture needs little of it. A rover on Mars, or a robot picking mixed items from a bin, depends on it.

How Does Computer Science Connect AI, Robotics and Technology?

AI, computer science and robotics technology connect through software: computer science supplies the algorithms, data structures and programming that AI runs on, and AI supplies the decision-making that turns a robot from a programmed machine into an adaptive one. Every layer of a smart robot, from sensor drivers to the trained model, is code.

AI built on computer science shows up well beyond robots. In software development, AI tools flag bugs and suggest code. In cybersecurity, AI monitors network traffic and responds to threats in real time. Software developers, who build those systems, earn a $135,980 median wage according to BLS (May 2025).

What Does an AI and Robotics Engineer Do?

An AI and robotics engineer designs, builds and programs robots that sense their environment and make their own decisions, combining mechanical design, electronics and machine learning in one machine. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has no separate occupation code for an AI robotics engineer. It counts robotic engineers under mechanical engineers, whom BLS describes simply: "Robotic engineers plan, build, and maintain robots."

AI robotics engineer careers and their BLS occupations

Role	BLS occupation	Median wage (May 2025)	Growth 2025-35
Robotics engineer	Mechanical engineers	$104,110	11%
Robotics or AI software engineer	Software developers	$135,980	10%
AI or robotics research scientist	Computer and information research scientists	$140,300	22%

Research scientist roles typically require a master's degree. Robotics engineer and software developer roles start with a bachelor's.

Is Robotics Engineering Safe From AI?

Yes, robotics engineering is safe from AI: the people who build AI-driven machines are the ones that automation creates demand for. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects mechanical engineering employment, which includes robotic engineers, to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% average, and credits automation and innovation for that demand.

AI changes the job without removing it. Routine programming of fixed robot paths is giving way to training and integrating models, so robotics engineers who add machine learning to mechanical and electrical skills are the ones employers look for.

Studying AI and Robotics at South Dakota Mines

South Dakota Mines is a machine learning school in Rapid City where AI and robotics are taught across four engineering and computing programs. The Computer Science & Engineering MS combines courses in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering to design and build advanced mobile intelligent robotics applications, with thesis, non-thesis and accelerated master's options⁵. Its featured research areas are robotics, military reconnaissance and surveillance, and intelligent automation.

Undergraduate routes into AI and robotics engineering. Computer Science students explore robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and intelligent systems, and can take the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning specialization. Electrical Engineering students design and build drones and lunar robots. Computer Engineering lists autonomous intelligent systems and robotics and automation among its career paths, and Mechanical Engineering lists robotic engineers.

What the outcomes look like. Class of 2025 Computer Engineering graduates placed at 100% with an $81,300 average starting salary, Mechanical Engineering at 98% and $79,973, and Electrical Engineering at 100% and $77,892⁴. Across all programs, the 2024-2025 First Destination Report puts South Dakota Mines at 94% placement and 192 employers in 36 states.

Explore the Computer Science & Engineering MS program page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between AI and robotics?

AI is software that learns from data and makes decisions, and robotics is the engineering of physical machines that carry out tasks. In AI and robotics engineering, AI powers robotic systems so they adapt and act autonomously, using perception and learned models in place of a fixed set of instructions.

Q: What degree do you need for AI and robotics engineering?

A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering or computer science is the typical entry point. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the entry-level education for mechanical engineers, and research roles typically require a master's.

Q: How much do AI and robotics engineers make?

BLS reports a $104,110 median for mechanical engineers, the occupation that counts robotic engineers, and $140,300 for computer and information research scientists, including those who work on robots and AI (May 2025).

Q: How many robots are in use today?

The International Federation of Robotics counted 4,664,000 industrial robots in operation worldwide in 2024, up 9% in a year. The United States installed 34,200 new industrial robots in 2024.

Q: Does South Dakota Mines have a robotics degree?

South Dakota Mines offers the Computer Science & Engineering MS, which is built around designing and building mobile intelligent robotics applications⁵. Undergraduates reach robotics through Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Q: Is there a machine learning school in Rapid City?

Yes. South Dakota Mines is a machine learning school in Rapid City, South Dakota, and offers a Computer Science BS with an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning specialization, a Data Science & Engineering BS, and graduate study in computer science and engineerin