Triple A

A3 announces this year's winners

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced two longtime industry pioneers as the winners of the 2025 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards, the world’s most prestigious robotics honor.

Stuart "Stu" C. Shepherd, Co-Founder and President of Shepherd Solutions Inc., was selected as the winner for his distinguished industry leadership. He will be recognized for more than 46 years transforming manufacturing in the Americas through robotic automation and capital equipment-related new business development, including past service as chairperson of both the Robotics Industries Association (RIA), now A3, and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Dr. Peter Corke, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Queensland University of Technology, was selected as this year’s award winner in the education category for his impact in robotics education and research, including the creation of the widely used open-source “Robotics Toolbox” software, authoring the bestselling textbook “Robotics, Vision, and Control,” and developing the Robot Academy online video resource.

The Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards are named after the late Joseph F. Engelberger (pictured below), known throughout the world as the founding force behind industrial robotics. Since 1977, these awards have been given to 141 robotics leaders from around the world for excellence in technology development, application, education and leadership.

Joseph Engelberger

The winners are selected by a panel of industry leaders based on all present and past nominations from the industry and are voted on by the past chairs of the RIA. A3 administers the award, and each winner receives a $5,000 honorarium, a commemorative medallion and a plaque.

“This year’s Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards honorees have dedicated their lives to our industry, and so many of us have benefitted from their contributions,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “Stu’s leadership and foresight over the past 46 years have been instrumental in transforming manufacturing. Peter’s educational resources and research have shaped the work of robotics engineers for many years and led to immeasurable industry advancements.”

Stuart “Stu” C. Shepherd: Past A3 and RIA Chairperson, current A3 Robotics Board Member

Shepherd is the co-founder and president of Shepherd Solutions Inc., an industry consulting firm. His past experience includes automation integration roles at General Motors, and sales and top leadership roles at FANUC America Corp., KUKA AG, Güdel AG, Universal Robots A/S, and consulting roles at Gain & Co. and HowToRobot.com.

He is a past chairperson at both the RIA and A3, a current A3 Robotics board member, and an R15.05 safety committee member. He is also a member of the American Welding Society, serving on the D16 Robotic and Automatic Welding Committee.

“I am truly humbled and grateful to receive this award,” Shepherd said. “My career in robotics and automation has been both intellectually challenging and rewarding. I’m honored to have been a part of this industry for many years and look forward to watching and contributing to its ongoing success and evolution.”

Dr. Peter Corke: Robotics Education Pioneer

Dr. Corke is currently distinguished professor emeritus at Queensland University of Technology, where he co-founded the robotics discipline, which has grown to be one of the largest robotics research and teaching groups in Australia. Prior to that, he worked for the national research agency CSIRO as a researcher and then as the founding director of the CSIRO Autonomous Systems Lab.

His early work focused on the automation of underground and surface mining equipment and farm vehicles, internet of things, visual-inertial navigation of flying and underwater drones, and mobile manipulation. He holds a number of patents and is currently chief roboticist at robotic-packing company LYRO Robotics and technical advisor to drone-mapping company Emesent.

He is a fellow of the IEEE, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and the Australian Academy of Science; former editor-in-chief of the IEEE Robotics & Automation magazine; and a member of advisory and editorial boards for the International Journal of Robotics Research, IEEE Trans. Robotics Practice and IEEE Trans. Field Robotics.

“Being recognized with an Engelberger Award for my contributions to robotics education is easily one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Dr. Corke said. “I’ve always believed that making robotics knowledge accessible to all is crucial for advancing the industry.”