Overview
Public research university in DeKalb, Illinois with active robotics research through its College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET). Home to the Omron Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory (established 2013 with Omron Foundation support) and NSF-funded swarm robotics research led by Associate Professor Sachit Butail. The NIU Robotics Club, founded in 2012, has won multiple Midwestern Robotics Design Competition titles including first-ever flying robot and autonomous robot entries.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
President
Type
Students
Endowment
Robotics lab
Key research
Robotics Club founded
CEET Dean
Partnerships
Every company Northern Illinois University has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1AutomationDirect1× joint
- 2Omron Foundation1× joint
Most recent
- with AutomationDirectoperating
- with Omron Foundationoperating
Relationships
Current leadership (3)
- Lisa C. Freeman Presidentsecondary-verified
- Sachit Butail Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineeringsecondary-verified
- Dave Grewell Dean, CEETsecondary-verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for Northern Illinois University.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Northern Illinois University on the data-center map
Every verified data center Northern Illinois University operates that has a mapped coordinate (1 total). Filled circles are Tier-2 facilities and Tier-1 campuses under this operator; click any pin to open its record.
Northern Illinois University data centers (1)
AI data centers Northern Illinois University operates or is a party to, from the DEPLOY data center registry.
Recent coverage
Northern Illinois University in third-party press
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
2 total · 2 operating
Every company Northern Illinois University has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- with AutomationDirectoperating
- with Omron Foundationoperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1AutomationDirect1× joint
- 2Omron Foundation1× joint
All 2 partnerships
open in the atlas →- NIU x AutomationDirect - Automation LaboratorywithAutomationDirectdevelopment2015-01-01operating
- NIU x Omron Foundation - Robotics and Mechatronics LaboratorywithOmron Foundationdevelopment2013-04-18operating
Funding rounds (2)
- Strategic2015-01-01
- Other2013-04-18
Timeline
Every recorded move in Northern Illinois University’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundStrategic funding round
2015-01-01Strategic
PartnershipNIU x AutomationDirect - Automation Laboratory
2015-01-01AutomationDirect donated 00,000 over four years to establish the AutomationDirect Automation Laboratory at NIU's Department of Technology, supporting PLC and automation courses and a term professorship.
Funding roundOther funding round
2013-04-18Other
PartnershipNIU x Omron Foundation - Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory
2013-04-18Omron Foundation donated equipment and funding to establish the Omron Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory at NIU's CEET, providing students with hands-on access to Omron SYSMAC technologies for industrial automation and robotics research.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 20, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Common questions
What is Northern Illinois University?
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Is Northern Illinois University a top robotics company?
When was Northern Illinois University founded?
Is Northern Illinois University safe?
Methodology: Claimed (not independently verified) · no sources on file · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Claimed (not independently verified)
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Northern Illinois University.In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Northern Illinois University from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
CEET to host Innovation Showcase Nov. 14
NIU's College of Engineering and Engineering Technology announces its annual Innovation Showcase featuring faculty research in AI, controls, analytics, advanced manufacturing, and…
NSF Funds Research to Improve Effectiveness of Swarm Robots
NIU Associate Professor Sachit Butail receives NSF funding for research applying information theory to quantify behavior in swarm robotic systems, bridging biological collective…
Northern Illinois University partners with AutomationDirect for new student lab
NIU unveils the AutomationDirect Automation Laboratory in its Department of Technology, supported by a 00,000 donation over four years from AutomationDirect.
Skills gap: Northern Illinois University partners with AutomationDirect for new lab
NIU opens the AutomationDirect Automation Laboratory to help close the skills gap in automation education, with department chair Cliff Mirman and CEET dean Promod Vohra speaking…
Omron Foundation Helps Establish the Omron Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory at NIU
Omron Foundation donates equipment and funding to create the Omron Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory at NIU's College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, enhancing…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/northern-illinois-university.md
- RSS feed: /companies/northern-illinois-university/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/96fe93f3-d6d8-45b7-8153-54220beb0228
- Revision history: /companies/northern-illinois-university/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Video
Northern Illinois University has completed the installation of two high-definition robotic cameras at Huskie Stadium, eliminating the hazardous use of aerial li
After hundreds of hours of hard work, we are proud to display our new rover, Ad Astra! This team would not be possible without the help from our sponsors and th
After hundreds of hours of hard work, we are proud to display our new rover, Ad Boxtra! This team would not be possible without the help from our sponsors and t
A team of engineering students developed a wearable robotic arm to enable workers to lift more while reducing the risk of injuries.
Witness the ingenuity and artistry of some of NIU’s most inventive minds as they share groundbreaking ideas, creative breakthroughs and transformative experienc
Students from Northern Illinois University recently took advantage of our Free Samples for Students scheme to build an innovative aquatic robot.
This research by Joshua Schrank & Sachit Butail at Northern Illinois University is funded by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. The lightning talk was an update on res
Heat Index
Serious54/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Not enough verified signal yet to place Northern Illinois University against peers. Reality and attention percentiles publish once the underlying record clears its data floor.
6-month trend
Analysis
Funding runway warrants monitoring: last known round 143 months ago.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 5, 2026