Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Markus Nemitz is the recipient of a $599,815 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to develop an innovative architecture for low-cost custom robots capable of traversing challenging terrains by swimming, crawling, climbing, and diving through hostile and confined spaces as part of search-and-rescue operations.
WPI researchers have partnered with the City of Worcester to develop a lizard-like soft robot that can creep into walls, ductwork, and pipes to perform inspections and three-dimensional mapping tasks that could be dangerous or impossible for humans.
Funded by a $50,000 National Science Foundation grant, the team— Cagdas Onal, Paul Mathisen, Yunus Telliel, and Berk Calli—collaborated with students and city officials to design the slender and deformable robot, which can get into tight spaces much less invasively than current methods allow.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Loris Fichera has been awarded $599,663 by the National Science Foundation for a five-year project that will enable a new class of surgical robots to treat disease through the focused delivery of energy, such as light, without cutting or touching human tissues.
Faculty Snapshot
Get to know Professor Pinciroli through items he has in his office.
Student Impact
‘Ropeless’ Lobster Traps Protect Right Whales
Lobster fishing is critical to New England, but the ropes that connect traps to buoys pose a threat to the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. Learn how students developed a project to address the problem.
