Dr. Robert F. Shepherd, Associate Professor, Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Cornell University
An engineering contradiction exists between enduring and adaptable robots—we have examples of autonomous cars that can drive for 100’s of miles, or legged ones that can do backflips for a little while, but never the twain shall meet. Pushing this Pareto frontier outwards towards biological capabilities of enduring and adaptive mobility will probably require embracing complexity and multifunctionality. Meaning, hierarchical assembly of several sub‐systems (i.e., organs) and packing energy into every cubic centimeter of volume. Towards this end, I will talk about our work to “innervate” robots for tactile feedback using stretchable sensing “skins” for high density shape sensing measurements to improve control authority in high degree of freedom (passive or active) continuum structures and actuators.
My focus will be on the use of stretchable fiberoptic lightguides as a sensing medium for estimating deformation and temperature in the “meat” of these compliant structures and actuators. After discussing sensing, I will then describe our concept of “Robot Blood” in order to increase the overall energy density of hydraulically powered robots. This Robot Blood is an electrolyte based off of redox flow battery (RFB) chemistry that performs the additional function of force transmission and soft actuator inflation. I will close by demonstrating robots that take advantage of this electrohydraulic power.
Rob Shepherd is an associate professor at Cornell University in the Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He received his B.S. (Material Science & Engineering), Ph.D. (Material Science & Engineering), and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois in Material Science & Engineering. At Cornell, he runs the Organic Robotics Lab (ORL: http://orl.mae.cornell.edu), which focuses on using methods of invention, including bioinspired design approaches, in combination with material science to improve machine function and autonomy. We rely on new and old synthetic approaches for soft material composites that create new design opportunities in the field of robotics.
Our research spans three primary areas: bioinspired robotics, advanced manufacturing, and human‐robot interactions. He is the recipient of an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and his lab’s work has been featured in popular media outlets such as the BBC, Discovery Channel, and PBS’s NOVA documentary series.
Dr. Anil N. Netravali, Jean and Douglas McLean Professor of Fiber Science, Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design, Cornell University
Light weight fiber reinforced composites have replaced metals in many applications from automobile parts to satellites and from windmill blades to sporting goods. Most of these composites are made using fibers and resins that are derived from petroleum. Since they tend to be non‐degradable, non‐ recyclable and non‐reusable, most of them end up in landfills at the end of their life. Green composites made from plant‐based fibers and resins on the other hand are fully sustainable and compostable.
Since the beginning of the research on green composites that started only 25‐30 years ago, a significant progress has been made. Natural fiber reinforced green composites now can be found in many applications from automobile parts to housing and from furniture to packaging. Advanced Green Composites with high strength and toughness comparable to Kevlar® based composites can now be made using cellulosic fibers.
This presentation will discuss the research progress in the field of green composites including self‐healing and fire resistant green composites.
Dr. Netravali received his Ph.D. in Fiber & Polymer Science from North Carolina State University in 1984 and joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University as a postdoctoral associate. In 1987 he joined the Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design as an assistant professor. Currently he is the Jean and Douglas McLean Professor of Fiber Science. His main research is in the fields of Fiber Reinforced Composites, Green Materials and Green Processes. Within the area of green materials his group has developed Green resins from plant‐based proteins and starches and reinforced them using plant‐based fibers to fabricate environment‐friendly, Green Composites and Advanced Green Composites for a variety of applications.
Dr. Netravali is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Fiber Society and the American Nano Society. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL. He is the Editor of Reviews of Adhesion and Adhesives (RAA) and serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of 6 international research journals. He has over 170 research publications and book chapters and has edited or co‐edited four books. He has presented his research at numerous conferences as Keynote and Plenary speaker. He was the winner of the ‘Green of the Crop’ in the Inventor & Entrepreneur category in New York in 2010 and received the 2012 Founder’s Award by the Fiber Society in recognition of his outstanding achievement and commitment to the science, engineering and technology of fibers and fiber‐ based products.
Dr. Michael C. McAlpine, Kuhrmeyer Family Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Minnesota
The ability to three‐ dimensionally interweave biological and functional materials could enable the creation of devices possessing personalized geometries and functionalities. Indeed, interfacing active devices with biology in 3D could impact a variety of fields, including biomedical devices, regenerative biomedicines, bioelectronics, smart prosthetics, and human‐machine interfaces.
Biology, from the molecular scale of DNA and proteins, to the macroscopic scale of tissues and organs, is three‐dimensional, often soft and stretchable, and temperature sensitive. This renders most biological platforms incompatible with the fabrication and material processing methods that have been developed and optimized for functional electronics, which are typically planar, rigid, and brittle. A number of strategies have been developed to overcome these dichotomies. Our approach is to utilize extrusion‐based multi‐material 3D printing, which is an additive manufacturing technology that offers freeform, autonomous fabrication. This approach addresses the challenges presented above by (1) using 3D printing and imaging for personalized device architectures; (2) employing ‘nano‐inks’ as an enabling route for introducing a diverse palette of functionalities; and (3) combining 3D printing of biological and functional inks on a common platform to enable the interweaving of these two worlds, from biological to electronic. 3D printing is a multiscale platform, allowing for the incorporation of functional nanoscale inks, the printing of microscale features, and ultimately the creation of macroscale devices. This blending of 3D printing, functional materials, and ‘living’ inks may enable next‐generation 3D printed devices.
Michael C. McAlpine is the Kuhrmeyer Family Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He received a B.S. (2000) in Chemistry with honors from Brown University, and a Ph.D. (2006) in Chemistry from Harvard University. His current research is focused on 3D printing functional materials & devices for biomedical applications, with recent breakthroughs in 3D printed deformable sensors and 3D printed bionic eyes (one of National Geographic’s 12 Innovations that will Revolutionize the Future of Medicine). He has received several awards for this work, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award.
Dr. Gina Olson, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Soft Machines Lab, Carnegie Mellon University
Soft robots use geometric and material deformation to absorb impacts, mimic natural motions, mechanically adapt to motion or unevenness and to store and reuse energy. Soft robots, by virtue of these traits, offer potential for robots that grasp robustly, adapt to unstructured environments and work safely alongside, or are even worn by, humans. However, compliance breaks many of the assumptions underpinning traditional approaches to robot design, dynamics, control, sensing and planning, and new or modified approaches are required.
During this talk, I will introduce the concept of soft robots as soft structures, with capabilities and behaviors derived from the type and organization of their active and passive elements. I will present my current and prior work on the development and analysis of soft robotic structures, with a particular focus on the mechanics of soft arms. I will show how structure and mechanics affect concepts critical to robotics, such as workspace size and planning techniques. Finally, I will conclude the talk with my plans for future research, which focus on critical challenges that must be addressed to realize field‐deployable soft robots.
Dr. Gina Olson is a postdoctoral research scientist working in Prof. Carmel Majidi’s Soft Machines Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. She earned her doctorate in Robotics and Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University’s Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute, where she was advised by Dr. Yiğit Mengüç and Prof. Julie A. Adams. Her current research interests are the development and study of the soft and compliant structures within soft robots, and her past research interests lie in the area of deployable space structures for small satellites. She previously worked as a Technical Lead Engineer at Meggitt Polymers and Composites, where she led the development and certification of fire seals for aircraft engines and learned the intricacies of manufacturing at a production level. Dr. Olson’s future research directions are guided by the desire to see capable soft robots used in the world.
Dr. John Rogers, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery, McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University
Biological systems are mechanically soft, with complex, time‐dependent 3D curvilinear shapes; modern electronic and microfluidic technologies are rigid, with simple, static 2D layouts. Eliminating this profound mismatch in physical properties will create vast opportunities in man‐made systems that can intimately integrate with the human body, for diagnostic, therapeutic or surgical function with important, unique capabilities in fitness/wellness, sports performance and clinical healthcare. Over the last decade, a convergence of new concepts in materials science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and advanced manufacturing has led to the emergence of diverse classes of ‘biocompatible’ electronic and microfluidic systems with skin‐like physical properties. This talk describes the key ideas and presents some of the most recent device examples, including wireless, battery‐free electronic ‘tattoos’ with applications in continuous monitoring of vital signs in neonatal and pediatric intensive care; and microfluidic/electronic platforms that can capture, manipulate and perform biomarker analysis on microliter volumes of sweat, with applications in sports and fitness.
Professor John A. Rogers obtained BA and BS degrees in chemistry and in physics from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1989. From MIT, he received SM degrees in physics and in chemistry in 1992 and the PhD degree in physical chemistry in 1995. From 1995 to 1997, Rogers was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard University Society of Fellows. He joined Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff in the Condensed Matter Physics Research Department in 1997, and served as Director of this department from 2000 to 2002. He then spent thirteen years on the faculty at University of Illinois, most recently as the Swanlund Chair Professor and Director of the Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. In the Fall of 2016, he joined Northwestern University as the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Medicine, with affiliate appointments in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chemistry, where he is also Director of the recently endowed Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics. He has published more than 750 papers, is a co‐ inventor on more than 100 patents and he has co‐founded several successful technology companies. His research has been recognized by many awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2009), the Lemelson‐MIT Prize (2011) and most recently the Benjamin Franklin Medal (2019). He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Kaiyan Qiu, Assistant Professor, Washington State University, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Thursday September 10, 2020
11:00am to Noon
Location:
https://wsu.zoom.us/j/96232720756?pwd=NXdPRTVyQng2UTJ3eVpRQnR0NHFEdz09
The interweaving of polymeric materials with multiscale, multimaterial 3D printing processes could enable the additive manufacturing of a diverse set of complex, multifunctional structures. To this end, the focus of this talk is to introduce the 3D printing of presurgical organ models, cardiac muscle pump, and smart electronics with unique geometries and extraordinary functionalities that can be utilized for biomedical and healthcare applications. Firstly, 3D printed, patient‐specific prostate and aortic root models with physical properties of tissue and integrated capacitive sensors will be presented and their applications in surgical rehearsal and planning, medical device evaluation, and postoperative complication prediction will be discussed. Secondly, 3D bioprinting of cardiac muscle pump using stem cell‐laden biomaterials and in situ proliferation and differentiation procedure will be presented. The muscle pump exhibits contiguous muscle wall and macroscale beating function. Finally, a 3D printed stretchable piezoresistive tactile sensor fabricated on freeform surface under mild conditions using customized electronic materials will be introduced. This sensor can be integrated onto human skin for health monitoring and motion detection.
Dr. Kaiyan Qiu is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the Washington State University. Dr. Qiu received his Ph.D. in Fiber Science with Polymers and Biological Engineering Concentrations from Cornell University. He also obtained the postdoc training in the Mechanical Engineering related field at Dartmouth College, Princeton University, and University of Minnesota. With his expertise in additive manufacturing (3D printing), functional materials, electronics, and biotechnologies, Dr. Qiu’s research interests focus on designing and manufacturing presurgical organ models and medical devices for surgical rehearsal and device evaluations, wearable electronics for health monitoring, and tissue engineering for biomedical applications. His highly interdisciplinary research work has been published in numerous high‐impact journals. More details can be found at http://www.kaiyanqiu.com.
Dr. Venkatsubramanian Kalpathy Venkiteswaran, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering at University of Twente
Thursday April 30th, 2020
11:00am to Noon, ETRL room 101
Location:
https://wsu.zoom.us/j/99673759465?pwd=MWh0WWE4MFh3R2FCOUVPdXRPZk41UT09
Password: 7p20j9
Smart devices, intelligent materials and soft robots are paving the way for rapid technological advancements, and are currently among the hottest topics of research in engineering and robotics. Soft robots with embedded actuation and sensing capabilities have the potential to perform a variety of tasks, including navigating restricted spaces and providing distributed contact not possible using traditional robots. However, significant challenges exist in transforming these concepts into functional devices due to issues in modeling large deformations, controlling dynamics of motion and actuating continuum devices. This talk will cover design, modeling and actuation techniques for soft robots, continuum manipulators and compliant mechanisms, with an eye on surgical, biomedical and scientific application. Recent developments in bio‐inspired untethered magnetic soft robots will be discussed, demonstrating interesting motion capabilities. A novel design for a metallic continuum manipulator for high precision motion will be described. Reduced order computationally‐efficient models for analysis of flexible members will be detailed, for implementation in closed‐loop actuation. These developments in various aspects of soft robots and continuum devices are expected to improve the functionality and utility of these devices for applications ranging from minimally invasive surgical procedures to scientific exploration.
Venkatsubramanian Kalpathy Venkiteswaran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering at University of Twente. Prior to that, he was a post‐doctoral research fellow at the Surgical Robotics Lab at University of Twente for two years. He received his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University, USA, working on design principles for compliant mechanisms. Venkat’s research interests include design of soft robots and flexible devices, with a focus on medical application. He is currently working on projects related to bio‐inspired untethered magnetic soft robots, flexure‐based design of continuum manipulators, magnetic catheters for percutaneous coronary interventions, geometrically‐exact models for continuum devices and the use of magnetic actuation systems for minimally‐invasive surgery.
Presented by Dr. Kaiyan Qiu, Postdoctoral Associate in Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota
Thursday April 23rd, 2020
11:00am to Noon, ETRL room 101
Location:
https://wsu.zoom.us/j/98530731428?pwd=VFNiMEFyYkN5d3lRRTB0d2d3SnVXZz09
The interweaving of polymeric materials with multiscale, multimaterial 3D printing processes could enable the additive manufacturing of a diverse set of complex, multifunctional structures. To this end, the focus of this talk is to introduce the 3D printing of presurgical organ models, cardiac muscle pump, and smart electronics with unique geometries and extraordinary functionalities that can be utilized for biomedical and healthcare applications. Firstly, 3D printed, patient‐specific prostate and aortic root models with physical properties of tissue and integrated capacitive sensors will be presented and their applications in surgical rehearsal and planning, medical device evaluation, and postoperative complication prediction will be discussed. Secondly, 3D bioprinting of cardiac muscle pump using stem cell‐laden biomaterials and in situ proliferation and differentiation procedure will be presented. The muscle pump exhibits contiguous muscle wall and macroscale beating function. Thirdly, a 3D printed stretchable piezoresistive tactile sensor fabricated on freeform surface under mild conditions using customized electronic materials will be introduced. This sensor can be integrated onto human skin for health monitoring and motion detection. Finally, my future research and teaching plans about additive manufacturing, functional materials and devices, and their applications at the Washington State University will be briefly discussed in the talk.
Dr. Kaiyan Qiu is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. in Fiber Science with Polymers and Biological Engineering Concentrations from Cornell University, and completed his Bachelor and Master Degrees from Donghua University. During his Ph.D. at Cornell, Dr. Qiu worked on biobased and biodegradable polymer composites in Prof. Anil Netravali’s group. He also spent a year at Dartmouth College for studying freeze‐cast biomaterials. After that, Dr. Qiu joined Prof. Michael McAlpine’s group at Princeton University and University of Minnesota. With his expertise in functional materials, additive manufacturing (3D printing), electronics, and biotechnologies, Dr. Qiu’s recent work focuses on designing and developing presurgical organ models with integrated electronics for surgical rehearsal and medical device evaluations, flexible electronics for health monitoring, and cardiac tissue models for biomedical applications. His highly interdisciplinary research work has been published in numerous high‐impact journals. The work also represents several first and has been widely recognized in scientific news outlets. More details can be found at www.kaiyanqiu.com/.
