From sensitized artificial skin to stretchable electronics, from bio-hybrid robotics to prosthetic devices for robotic-assisted locomotion, our faculty are developing technologies for safe, minimally-restrictive human interaction.

Innovations include liquid-embedded elastomer electronics (LE3) for stretchable sensors and circuits.

Faculty involved: Sarah Bergbreiter, Carmel Majidi, Burak Ozdoganlar, Victoria Webster-Wood, Hartmut Geyer (courtesy)

Researchers explore legged robotics to design better controllers for robustly stable, energy efficiency, and fast locomotion, including the ability to travel reliably over unstructured terrain. 

They create technologies for inspection of infrastructure, aerial load transportation, agricultural monitoring, autonomous point-to-point flight as well as investigating micro-scale robotics. 

Faculty involved: Sarah Bergbreiter, Aaron Johnson, Kenji Shimada, Hartmut Geyer (courtesy), Sanjiv Singh (courtesy)

Fabrication and control of magnetic microswimming robots assembled from microbeads and DNA nanostructures... bioinspired bots that walk on water and climb walls with nano-fiber adhesives... robotic devices for microsurgery and microsurgical tools....

These are a few examples of our research in micro- and nano-scale robotics, an area that requires a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to problem-solving. 

Faculty involved: Sarah Bergbreiter, Burak Ozdoganlar, Rebecca Taylor, Victoria Webster-Wood, Metin Sitti (adjunct), Cameron Riviere (courtesy)

Microrobots to navigate capillaries for drug delivery, temporary, non-invasive electronic tattoos for medical monitoring...these are a few examples of how our experts seek to improve human health through reasearch that blends biomedical and mechanical engineering with robotics. 

Diverse projects range from minimally-invasive miniature mobile robots, devices to improve mobility through mechanical assistance, computational, 3D imaging and simulation of organs and vessels, and surgical training tools.

Faculty involved: Kenji Shimada, Rebecca Taylor, Victoria Webster-Wood, Howie Choset (courtesy), Cameron Riviere (courtesy), David Wettergreen (courtesy)

Whether its manuevering through debris after a hurricane or repairing tankers under water, robots can performs tasks that are difficult and dangerous for humans.

Self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, and factory automation are areas where systems need to coordinate and communicate with other systems, devices, and humans. Precision, efficiency, and safety are critical. 

Faculty involved: Aaron Johnson, Kenji Shimada, Ding Zhao, Howie Choset (courtesy) 

Read Internet of robotic things, an article about Professor Shimada's course.