Sebastian Scherer (FieldAI): 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Sebastian Scherer is a distinguished robotics expert and Associate Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, who also serves as the Director of Safe Embodied AI at FieldAI, an innovative startup focused on advancing embodied intelligence technology. Known globally for pioneering resilient robotics and deployable AI systems, Scherer's work impacts the development of highly adaptive and safe autonomous platforms, particularly for drones and robotic vehicles operating in complex and dynamic environments. His research bridges cutting-edge academic innovation and real-world applications, including autonomous navigation, perception, and obstacle avoidance. Readers will discover insights into his groundbreaking contributions, academic journey, leadership at FieldAI, and his influence on the future of robotics and AI.

1. Academic and Professional Background

Sebastian Scherer holds a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where he also completed his BS and MS degrees. He has been a faculty member at CMU since 2012 and became an Associate Research Professor at the Robotics Institute. Scherer has worked extensively in aerial robotics, focusing on autonomous rotorcraft navigation and perception. In addition to academia, he has experience in industry-related research roles, notably at Near Earth Autonomy before joining FieldAI as Director of Safe Embodied AI in 2025. His academic and professional career reflects a blend of theory, applied research, and leadership in robotics innovation.

2. Leadership Role at FieldAI

At FieldAI, Sebastian Scherer directs the development of fieldable embodied AI—systems capable of safely and adaptively operating in the physical world. FieldAI is a venture-backed startup dedicated to commercializing advanced robotics and AI solutions across industrial operations worldwide. Under Scherer's leadership, the company develops scalable AI models that enable robots to navigate, make decisions, and perform tasks autonomously in unpredictable and unstructured environments. His role supports bridging cutting-edge research with practical deployment for real-world industrial challenges.

3. Pioneering Research in Resilient Robotics

Scherer's research centers on "resilient robotics," an emerging area aimed at designing autonomous robots that maintain robust, safe, and adaptive operation despite uncertainty, environmental variability, and system errors. He integrates model-based and learning-based approaches to develop perception, state estimation, and planning algorithms that improve a robot's ability to handle novel situations with minimal human intervention. His work emphasizes redundancy, robustness, and continuous system improvement to overcome the brittleness of conventional autonomy.

4. Contributions in Autonomous Aerial Vehicles

A significant portion of Scherer's work involves enabling low-altitude, offroad, and environmental navigation for unmanned rotorcraft and micro aerial vehicles (MAVs). He led developments in obstacle avoidance systems, autonomous landing technologies, and onboard perception using vision and LiDAR sensors. His lab demonstrated some of the earliest robust obstacle avoidance implementations on Yamaha RMAX helicopters (2006) and autonomous landing on full-sized unmanned helicopters (2010). These advancements set foundational techniques for safe rotorcraft flight in complex natural and urban environments.

5. Involvement with DARPA Subterranean Challenge

Scherer co-led CMU's Team Explorer in the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, a prestigious robotics competition tasked with exploring unknown underground environments using multi-robot systems. The team's success in mapping, navigating, and detecting critical objects autonomously contributed to their top-ranked performances. This project exemplifies Scherer's approach to embodied AI, applying resilient robotics concepts to real-world scenarios involving uncertainty, communication constraints, and varied terrain.

6. Scholarly Impact and Google Scholar Presence

With a Google Scholar profile reflecting thousands of citations, Scherer is a prolific researcher whose publications span topics such as SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), 3D vision, reinforcement learning for robotics, and adaptive autonomy. Notable papers include real-time 3D object recognition with convolutional neural networks, monocular 3D SLAM, semantic mapping for autonomous navigation, and learning-based visual localization. His H-index exceeds 60, indicating significant impact and influence in the robotics community.

7. Research Focus on Safe Embodied Intelligence

Scherer promotes the concept of "safe embodied AI," aiming to build autonomous systems with formal safety guarantees that can still operate with high performance in real-world conditions. This includes developing explainable learning methods, model adaptation strategies, and fault tolerance mechanisms. His goal is to create robots capable of continuous learning and adaptation without compromising safety in unpredictable or degraded scenarios, essential for wide industrial adoption.

8. Collaboration and Team Building at FieldAI and CMU

He collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of experts spanning academia, industry, and government research labs. At CMU's AirLab, where he is affiliated, Scherer mentors graduate students and leads projects advancing autonomous robotics applied to diverse areas including search & rescue, wildfire management, infrastructure inspection, and drone delivery. At FieldAI, he helps scale teams working on transformative AI and robotics technologies supported by large funding rounds exceeding $400 million.

9. Sebastian Scherer on LinkedIn and Professional Outreach

Scherer maintains an active LinkedIn presence where he shares updates about robotics research, commercial developments at FieldAI, and job opportunities within his teams. His professional profile highlights expertise in robotics, UAVs, obstacle avoidance, and machine learning, and reflects engagement with the wider robotics and AI communities. He uses this platform to foster industry-academic collaborations and disseminate innovations in embodied intelligence.

10. Future Prospects in Robotics and AI Leadership

With robotics and AI poised to revolutionize multiple sectors, Scherer stands at the forefront shaping their integration in field operations. His work toward deployable, resilient AI systems continues to enable safer and more capable autonomous machines. As FieldAI expands, Scherer’s leadership will likely accelerate the deployment of AI-powered robotics at large scale, influencing industries from logistics to energy, and advancing the scientific frontier of embodied intelligence.

Conclusion

Sebastian Scherer's career epitomizes the synthesis of rigorous academic research and pioneering leadership in robotics and embodied AI technology. His foundational contributions to autonomous flight, resilient robotics, and safe AI have reshaped how autonomous systems are designed for real-world operation. Acting as both an educator and industry leader, Scherer advances a future where intelligent machines reliably assist and augment human capabilities in complex environments. As AI and robotics become ever more entwined with daily life and industry, Scherer's work invites us to explore how adaptive, safe, and scalable embodied intelligence will transform our world.