Carnegie Mellon University Selects OptiTrack as Motion Capture Technology Partner for New Robotics Innovation Center

Partnership equips a world-class robotics program with precision motion capture solutions and cutting-edge active tracking technology across two state-of-the-art research facilities

CORVALLIS, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OptiTrack, the world’s largest motion capture provider and a pioneer in precision 3D tracking technology for nearly three decades, today announced a multi-year technology partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to equip two research facilities at the university’s newly opened Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) with advanced motion capture systems. OptiTrack deployed a combined 92 high-performance cameras across the RIC’s indoor Motion Capture Studio and outdoor Drone Cage.

The partnership pairs two institutions at the top of their respective fields. Carnegie Mellon is internationally renowned for its fundamental and applied research in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. Its Robotics Institute, founded in 1979 as the world’s first university robotics department, is consistently ranked among the world’s leading robotics programs. OptiTrack, founded in 1996, has spent nearly 30 years engineering the motion capture systems trusted by thousands of research institutions worldwide.

The CMU Robotics Innovation Center

The RIC celebrated its grand opening on February 27, 2026, with a ceremony that demonstrated CMU’s leadership in robotics, physical AI and cutting-edge technology, and the university’s role in bringing these technologies from the lab to real-world deployment. The 150,000-square-foot facility at Hazelwood Green - a revitalized development on the former site of Pittsburgh’s historic Jones & Laughlin Steel Mill - houses a 50,000-square-foot robotics testing floor, aquatic research lab, motion capture studio, and a 6,000-square-foot outdoor drone cage.

The Systems

The indoor Motion Capture Studio features 28 PrimeX41 cameras and 4 Prime Color reference cameras, delivering micron-level accuracy across its full 2,800-square-foot volume. The outdoor Drone Cage is outfitted with 60 VersaX120 cameras - OptiTrack’s highest-resolution outdoor camera, engineered with IP66-rated weather protection - covering the full cage volume up to its 38-foot ceiling. Both systems leverage OptiTrack’s proprietary ActiveIO Tracking technology to uniquely identify and track hundreds of objects simultaneously.

A Partnership Built on Shared Vision

“We are proud to partner with CMU's world-class robotics program. This groundbreaking collaboration validates what our customers already know: OptiTrack leads in precision, scalability, and reliability—powered by the most advanced motion capture technology in the industry.” - Sidney Rittenberg, CEO, OptiTrack

“The future of robotics, physical AI and extended reality will be forged at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Innovation Center. We are excited to partner with OptiTrack to put their industry-leading motion capture technology in the hands of our researchers. Whether tracking multi-robot systems, drone swarms or human movement, OptiTrack’s suite of cameras and sensors will enable a new generation of discovery.” - Martial Hebert, Dean, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

Powering the Next Generation of Robotics Research

The systems will support a broad range of research programs at the RIC, including autonomous aerial robotics and multi-robot coordination through CMU’s AirLab, robotic imitation learning and human activity modeling led by Associate Research Professor Kris Kitani, and work aligned with the university’s recently announced Physical AI Accelerator - a state-backed expansion merging robotics, sensing, and intelligent systems.

OptiTrack also joined Carnegie Mellon’s Extended Reality Technology Center (XRTC) as a sponsor. The XRTC, launched in 2023, brings together researchers, industry and consumers to advance virtual, augmented and other extended reality technologies. Researchers in the XRTC intend to use the OptiTrack equipment at the RIC to recreate movement in the virtual world.

About OptiTrack

OptiTrack is the global leader in precision 3D motion capture, providing the world’s most accurate and reliable tracking systems for robotics, virtual production, entertainment, biomechanics, simulation/training, and academic/research environments. With industry-leading technology, real-time software, and fully integrated workflows, OptiTrack delivers sub-millimeter accuracy (as low as 50 microns) at extreme speeds and scale. From engineering labs to film sets to autonomous systems, organizations worldwide rely on OptiTrack as the motion-tracking backbone for their most demanding applications. Visit optitrack.com to learn more.

About Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research university with acclaimed programs spanning the sciences, engineering, technology, business, public policy, humanities and the arts. Our diverse community of scholars, researchers, creators and innovators is driven to make real-world impacts that benefit people across the globe. With an unconventional, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial approach, we do the work that matters.