Moscow Polytech Enters the Autonomous Service and Municipal Robotics Market
Moscow Polytechnic University intends to develop autonomous mobile systems, including delivery robots, mobile charging stations for electric vehicles, and domestic and utility robotic devices. Rector Vladimir Miklushevskii spoke about this in his presentation at the plenary session "Russia's Industry Forging the Path to New Mobility", held as part of INNOPROM-2026.
According to Vladimir Miklushevskii, autonomous transport can be divided into two large groups. The first consists of highly automated vehicles that transport passengers and cargo on public roads; according to him, the situation with the legal regulation of this group is developing quite well, and the relevant law is expected in the near future.
The second group includes autonomous mobile systems: mobile delivery robots, charging stations for electric vehicles, special-purpose systems and domestic devices, including robot vacuum cleaners. Vladimir Miklushevskii gave an example: if a robot vacuum cleaner damages something at home, the owner is usually responsible, but if such a device operates in a public space, the issues of legal regulation become more complex – and this is the area in which Moscow Polytech intends to help develop the framework together with regulators.
The Rector recalled that Moscow Polytechnic University had won the "Autonet" competition for two competitive cycles in a row and positions itself as an expert center that helps regulators, including the Ministry of Transport and other federal agencies and authorities, develop the appropriate standards. A new "Autonet" competition has now been announced, and the University plans to apply for participation.
According to Vladimir Miklushevskii, autonomous mobile systems are likely to be created on the basis of platform solutions that will then be adapted to the tasks of a specific customer. The University already has two design bureaus that fulfill industry orders: one works on platforms, reverse engineering and localization, while the other focuses on engineering design and vehicle body development.
A separate task is to reduce the design time for new products, which currently takes from 2 to 14 years on average. The Rector referred to an idea voiced by Dmitry Peskov at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2026: the transition to an agent-based design operating system could reduce this period by 40–50 times, to 6–16 weeks. "We will set ourselves this task, because this will be the key story," said Vladimir Miklushevskii, adding that without the transition to a new design system it would be difficult to compete with China, which already uses such a model.
Alongside this, the University intends to develop robotic production technologies for the production of autonomous mobile systems. According to the Rector, Moscow Polytech aims to master the programming of industrial robots and the use of additive technologies, which should accelerate the creation of competitive products.
Vladimir Miklushevskii spoke about a system of schools built around products rather than individual disciplines: the Advanced Engineering School of Technological Leadership FDR and the School of Advanced Engineering Design educate engineers by combining engineering training with marketing, economics and product commercialization. This year, the University plans to launch the School of Engineering Chemistry, based on competencies in composite materials and polymers that Moscow Polytechnic University inherited from the universities that became part of it in 2016. The Rector noted that workforce training and new production technologies complete the cycle without which business is not ready to invest in a new area.
The plenary session "Russia's Industry Forging the Path to New Mobility" was held as part of the INNOPROM-2026 international industrial exhibition in Yekaterinburg.
