CENTER FOR AI RESEARCH (CAIR)

Physical AI. Interactive AI. AIoT.

The Center for AI Research (CAIR) is the artificial intelligence research hub of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Catholic University of America.

CAIR brings together three collaborating laboratories - MAIL (Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Lab), GREENS (General Research of End-to-end Edge-intelligent Networks and Systems), and SIP (Signal and Imaging Processing Laboratory), each contributing to specialized areas of AI research; Multimodal AI, AIoT and Intelligent Networks, and Signal and Image Processing - to build intelligent systems that sense, reason, communicate, and act.

From sensors and edge devices to robots, autonomous platforms, and large language models, CAIR advances AI for the physical, interactive, and connected world.

Located in Washington, D.C., near major federal research agencies and national innovation partners, CAIR is positioned to support mission-driven AI research with real-world impact.

Three Pillars of CAIR

Physical AI

AI that perceives, decides, and acts in the physical world.

CAIR develops intelligent systems for robotics, autonomous platforms, vehicles, drones, sensing systems, and embodied agents by integrating computer vision, multimodal sensor fusion, signal and image processing, control, and policy learning.

Interactive AI

AI that reasons, communicates, and collaborates.

CAIR advances intelligent systems that engage with people and other AI agents through natural multimodal exchange, including agentic large language models, dialogue management, multimodal grounding, retrieval-augmented generation, and memory-enhanced reasoning.

AIoT

AI embedded across the networked devices that surround us.

CAIR develops edge-deployable models, intelligent networks, smart sensing systems, and secure data exchange methods that bring artificial intelligence into connected devices, infrastructure, and real-world environments.

Core Capabilities

Across its laboratories, CAIR develops intelligent systems that combine:

Our goal is to move AI from research concepts into deployable systems with real-world impact.

Our Vision

CAIR is shaping the future of AI systems that can sense the world, reason across information, collaborate with humans, and act responsibly in complex environments.

Through research, collaboration, and external partnerships, we aim to advance AI for healthcare, infrastructure, education, manufacturing, transportation, defense, and national security.

Partnership and Collaboration

Building the future of AI requires collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and communities. CAIR welcomes partnerships with academic researchers, industry leaders, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders who are working to advance intelligent systems for real-world impact.

Through external partnerships, sponsored research, and student-led innovation, CAIR supports the development of AI technologies for physical, interactive, and connected environments.

To explore collaboration opportunities with CAIR, please contact us through the form provided, Contact Form