Robert J. Wood

Robert Wood, Ph.D.
Founding Core Faculty Member
Platform Co-Lead, Bioinspired Robotics

Rob is developing biologically inspired aerial and ambulatory microrobots, soft-bodied robots, and programmable matter. His research interests include the fluid dynamics of flapping-wing flight, computationally minimal methods of controlling flight instability, coordination among multiple microrobots, and the development of artificial muscles. He leads a team of over 40 researchers on a National Science Foundation (NSF) project to develop coordinated colonies of autonomous robotic bees. His group is also building agile ambulatory robots that are inspired by insects and centipedes. The long-term goal is to create a swarm of robotic insects capable of performing important tasks, such as search and rescue, hazardous environmental explorations, and pollination. Rob is collaborating with a diverse set of researchers at the Wyss who are exploring soft-bodied autonomous robots and soft devices for human-robot interaction and rehabilitation. One of these projects, called "Second Skin," is a system in which sensing, actuation, and control mechanisms are embedded in soft devices that can be worn by patients with neuromuscular disorders to help them regain function. Rob is also working on programmable materials that can reconfigure to meet the needs of a desired task. A recent project demonstrated self-folding sheets of robotic origami, called "programmable matter by folding," comprised of interconnected sections that can transform themselves into different shapes.

Rob is an Associate Professor in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and founder of the Harvard Microrobotics Lab, which contains advanced facilities for rapid prototyping on the micron to centimeter scale. He received a 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, a 2009 Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, and a 2008 NSF Career Award. In 2008, he was named to Technology Review's annual list of top young technologists and scientists.

http://micro.seas.harvard.edu