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URL;TYPE=URI:https://www.wpi.edu/news/calendar/events/rbe-colloquium-speake
 r-series-professor-connor-mccann
SUMMARY:RBE Colloquium Speaker Series: Professor Connor McCann
DESCRIPTION:Hybrid-stiffness mechanisms at the boundary of rigid and soft r
 obotics\n\n\n\n      \n      \n\n\n\nAbstract: In recent years, there has 
 been growing recognition that the physical bodies of animals play just as 
 crucial a role in performing complex tasks as the control signals that dri
 ve them. In the field of robotics, this has given rise to the concept of “
 mechanical intelligence,” whereby desired behavior is embedded directly in
 to robotic hardware rather than relying purely on active control. Though m
 uch work remains to match the level of performance found in nature, great 
 progress has been made by both soft and rigid roboticists, alike. In this 
 talk, Prof. Connor McCann will present his research at the intersection of
  these two fields, using a combination of experimental, theoretical, and n
 umerical techniques to embed intelligent behavior into rigid robotic hands
 , soft wearable rehabilitative robots, and biomimetic soft-rigid structure
 s inspired by stingray skeletons. As the director of the Principled Rigid-
 Soft Mechanisms (PRiSM) Lab at WPI, Prof. McCann’s ongoing research direct
 ions focus on the development of new paradigms to achieve mechanical intel
 ligence through “hybrid-stiffness” mechanisms. By leveraging the benefits 
 of both softness and rigidity, he aims to push the bounds of robotic hardw
 are to enable complex and intelligent robotic behavior beyond what is curr
 ently possible.Bio: Connor McCann is an Assistant Professor in the Robotic
 s Engineering department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research 
 focuses on hybrid-stiffness mechanisms at the intersection of rigid and so
 ft robotics. He is interested in the underlying mechanics that govern the 
 non-trivial interactions between rigid and soft materials, and how these i
 nteractions can enable advanced, highly functional behavior in robots. His
  work combines first-principles physical modeling with application-driven 
 design and prototyping, spanning multiple application areas including robo
 tic grasping and manipulation, wearable robotics, and bioinspired robotics
 . Prior to joining WPI, he received his Ph.D. and M.S. from Harvard Univer
 sity and his B.S. from Yale University, all in mechanical engineering.\n
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