Topic: Soft Robotics for Controlled Interaction with the World

Speaker: Mark R. Cutkosky, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University

Time: 13:00-15:00, November 21

Venue: B506, New Main Building

Abstract:

As robots move beyond manufacturing applications to less predictable environments, they increasingly can benefit, as animals do, from integrating sensing and control with the passive properties provided by particular combinations and arrangements of materials and mechanisms. This realization is partly responsible for the recent proliferation of soft and bioinspired robots. However, many structures and mechanisms in nature are not uniformly soft. This talk will explore these interrelated concepts using examples from several bioinspired mobile robots that exploit selectively soft materials and structures when interacting with objects and surfaces in the environment.

Biography of the Speaker:

Mark R. Cutkosky is the Fletcher Jones Professor in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. Cutkosky's research activities include robotic manipulation and tactile sensing and the design and fabrication of biologically inspired robots. He consults with companies on robotics and human/computer interaction devices. His work has been featured in Discover Magazine, The New York Times, National Geographic, Time Magazine and other publications and has appeared on PBS NOVA, CBS Evening News, and other popular media. Cutkosky’s awards include a Fulbright Faculty Chair (Italy 2002), Fletcher Jones and Charles M. Pigott Chairs at Stanford University, an NSF Presidential Young Investigator award and Times Magazine Best Innovations (2006) for the Stickybot gecko-inspired robot.

Cutkosky’s laboratory and research can be found at http://bdml.stanford.edu.

School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation