Speaker: Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, Yale University

Time: 20:00-21:30 p.m., July 28, 2023, GMT+8

Venue: Long press to identify the QR code and jump to the webpage

Abstract:

Soft robots have the potential to augment their morphology, properties, and behavioral control policy to adapt to different tasks and environments. Inspired by the dynamic plasticity and general adaptability of animals, this talk will introduce several shape-shifting soft robot platforms—for example, robotic fabrics and legged robots with morphing limbs—capable of editing their physical structure to perform tasks more efficiently under changing task demands or in multiple environments. The talk will also cover the multifunctional material systems, including stretchable electronics, novel soft actuators, and variable stiffness materials, that enable predictable shape change. Harnessing these engineered materials and mechanisms yields access to a gamut of adaptive capabilities for increasingly life-like synthetic robots.

Biography:

Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio is the John J. Lee Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Yale University. Focusing on the intersection of materials, manufacturing, and robotics, her group is deriving new multifunctional materials that will allow next-generation robots to adapt their morphology and behavior to changing tasks and environments. She is the winner of multiple early career awards including the NSF Career Award, the NASA Early Career Award, the AFOSR Young Investigator Award, and the ONR Young Investigator Award. She was named to the Forbes “30 under 30” list for her approach to manufacturing liquid metals through printable emulsions and scalable sintering methods. She received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers, for her development of robotic skins that turn inanimate objects into multifunctional robots. She serves as an Associate Editor of Soft Robotics and IEEE T-RO, as well as Senior Editor of IJRR, and was General Chair of the IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) in both 2020 and 2021. She was named an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer in 2019, a National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Gilbreth Lecturer in 2022, and a National Academy of Science (NAS) Kavli Fellow in 2023. She also serves on the Technology, Innovation & Engineering Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.

Source: iCANX