Soft Robotics Podcast

In this episode, we interviewed Gina Olson who is a PhD Candidate in Robotics and Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University. Her current work focuses on understanding and improving single- and multiple-actuator soft robotic systems for underwater applications. She is specifically interested in models formulated for design and novel fabrication techniques. Gina earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2010, and her Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from California Institute of Technology in 2011. Prior to attending Oregon State University, Gina worked as a Technical Lead Engineer at Meggitt Polymers and Composites, designing and certifying engine seals for commercial passenger aircraft.

In this episode, we have interviewed Prof.Cecilia Laschi, a professor at the BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa.

I really enjoyed this talk, we spoke about different topics starting from her research, and philosophical related to the field.

In this episode, we interviewed Antonio Bicchi who is a Professor of Robotics at the University of Pisa, and Senior Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. He graduated from the University of Bologna in 1988 and was a postdoc scholar at M.I.T. Artificial Intelligence lab in 1988–1990. He teaches Robotics and Control Systems in the Department of Information Engineering (DII) of the University of Pisa. He leads the Robotics Group at the Research Center "E. Piaggio'' of the University of Pisa since 1990, where he was Director from 2003 to 2012. He is the head of the SoftRobotics Lab for Human Cooperation and Rehabilitation at IIT in Genoa. Since 2013 he serves ad Adjunct Professor at the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering of Arizona State University.

In this episode, we interviewed Yasmin Ansari who received her B.Sc. and M.Sc in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan in 2008 and 2011, respectively. From 2011 – 2014, she served as a full-time lecturer for undergraduate courses in computer engineering at Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University, Saudi Arabia. She then pursued her doctoral degree in Biorobotics as a Marie-curie research fellow from The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy, graduating in 2018. Currently, she is a post-doctoral research fellow at The BioRobotics Institute. Her research interests lie in the control of soft robotic systems and artificial intelligence. She has previously worked in SMART-E and I-Support projects and is currently involved with the Grow-Bot project.

In this podcast, we interviewed Geoffrey Spinks, a senior Professor at the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials. Geoffry is currently the Challenge Leader for Making Future Industries at the University of Wollongong's Global Challenges Program. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne in 1990 for his work on the mechanical behavior of polymers and he has maintained a research interest in this area specializing in mechanical actuator materials (artificial muscles). Geoff has published over 200 journal articles, including 5 co-authored articles in Science magazine. He is the co-recipient of more than $35m in grant funding. He had more than 10,000 citations and an "h-index" of 49. Geoff has worked closely with industry including sabbatical leave with BHP Research and Allied Signal Inc. (USA) and collaborative projects funded by industry and through the ARC Linkage and CRC schemes. Geoff has had a strong engagement with teaching across all levels of engineering materials and was the co-founder of UoW’s bachelor's degrees in Nanotechnology.

In this podcast, we interviewed Geoffrey Spinks, a senior Professor at the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials. Geoffry is currently the Challenge Leader for Making Future Industries at the University of Wollongong's Global Challenges Program. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne in 1990 for his work on the mechanical behavior of polymers and he has maintained a research interest in this area specializing in mechanical actuator materials (artificial muscles). Geoff has published over 200 journal articles, including 5 co-authored articles in Science magazine. He is the co-recipient of more than $35m in grant funding. He had more than 10,000 citations and an "h-index" of 49. Geoff has worked closely with industry including sabbatical leave with BHP Research and Allied Signal Inc. (USA) and collaborative projects funded by industry and through the ARC Linkage and CRC schemes. Geoff has had a strong engagement with teaching across all levels of engineering materials and was the co-founder of UoW’s bachelor's degrees in Nanotechnology.

In this episode, we interviewed Robert Sheperd, associate professor at Cornell University, Rob Shepherd received his B.S. (2002) and Ph.D. (2010) in Material Science at the University of Illinois where his research focused on developing polymeric and colloidal suspensions as 'inks' for 3D printers. He also fabricated microfluidic devices to synthesize single micron to millimeter -scale parts (e.g., glass and silicon microgears). Concurrently to performing this research, he received his M.B.A. (2009) at U of I and started a company, worked with several other startups, and gained significant experience with the details of market research, financials, accounting issues, and legal aspects of entrepreneurship. In 2010, he continued his education as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University in George Whitesides's research group in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. In this group, he developed pneumatic actuators in soft elastomers that took the form of a machine capable of moving in multiple gaits: walking and undulating. These actuators have also been used for low-cost manipulators, and in concert with a microfluidic system for biomimetic camouflage & display.

In this episode, we interviewed Robert Sheperd, associate professor at Cornell University, Rob Shepherd received his B.S. (2002) and Ph.D. (2010) in Material Science at the University of Illinois where his research focused on developing polymeric and colloidal suspensions as 'inks' for 3D printers. He also fabricated microfluidic devices to synthesize single micron to millimeter -scale parts (e.g., glass and silicon microgears). Concurrently to performing this research, he received his M.B.A. (2009) at U of I and started a company, worked with several other startups, and gained significant experience with the details of market research, financials, accounting issues, and legal aspects of entrepreneurship. In 2010, he continued his education as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University in George Whitesides's research group in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. In this group, he developed pneumatic actuators in soft elastomers that took the form of a machine capable of moving in multiple gaits: walking and undulating. These actuators have also been used for low-cost manipulators, and in concert with a microfluidic system for biomimetic camouflage & display.

In this episode, we interviewed Ian Walker, a professor at Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University. Walker's research centers on robotics, particularly novel manipulators and manipulation. His group is conducting basic research in the construction, modeling, and application of biologically-inspired "trunk, tentacle, and worm" robots. Their work is strongly motivated by the dexterous appendages found in cephalopods, particularly the arms and suckers of octopus, and the arms and tentacles of a squid. The ongoing investigation of these animals reveals interesting functional aspects of their structure and behavior.

In this episode, we interviewed Ian Walker, a professor at Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University. Walker's research centers on robotics, particularly novel manipulators and manipulation. His group is conducting basic research in the construction, modeling, and application of biologically-inspired "trunk, tentacle, and worm" robots. Their work is strongly motivated by the dexterous appendages found in cephalopods, particularly the arms and suckers of octopus, and the arms and tentacles of a squid. The ongoing investigation of these animals reveals interesting functional aspects of their structure and behavior.