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[Lab image] Microdynamic Systems Laboratory
Head: Ralph Hollis

Mailing address:
Carnegie Mellon University
Robotics Institute
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Location:
EDSH 120

For more information, see this lab's homepage.

This page last updated - January 1999.
Jump to: Lab Description | Personnel | Projects | Publications

Lab Description

In the Microdynamic Systems Laboratory we are exploring the limits of robotics in terms of speed, precision, dexterity and miniaturization. This endeavor requires development of new sensing, actuation, and control technologies for agile robotic systems that can be applied to a variety of real-world situations. Major themes of our work include moving toward robotics operating at or below the micrometer scale, simplifying robotic mechanisms while providing greater functionality through software, and providing new ways for humans to interact with the world through robotics. Examples include sensor-moderated coarse-fine manipulation, miniature factories for precision assembly, magnetic levitation haptic interfaces that allow humans to interact with remote or simulated environments through the sense of touch, dynamically-stable mobile robots for human environments, and high-speed walking machines.

Personnel [Past members]

Name Title Email Address
Galen Clark's personal homepage Galen Clark Haynes PhD Student, RI gch@cs.cmu.edu
Ralph's personal homepage Ralph Hollis Research Professor rhollis@cs.cmu.edu
Jonathan's personal homepage Jonathan W Hurst PhD Student, RI jhurst@cmu.edu
Stephanie Matvey Administrative Coordinator smatvey@cs.cmu.edu
Sarjoun Skaff Visiting Scholar sarjoun@gmail.com
Hanns Tappeiner PhD Student, RI hwt+@andrew.cmu.edu
Bertram Unger PhD Student, RI bju@andrew.cmu.edu

Current Projects [Past Projects]

Actuator with Mechanically Adjustable Series Compliance - We are developing actuation methods for highly dynamic legged locomotion.
Architecture for Agile Assembly - Reduction of time to market in agile manufacturing
Dynamically-Stable Mobile Robots in Human Environments - We are developing novel dynamically-stable rolling machine and walking machine research platforms to study interactions with people and operating in normal home and workplace environments.
Free-Roaming Planar Motors - We are developing autonomous planar motors for precision positioning.
Magnetic Levitation Haptic Consortium - Low-cost, high-fidelity haptic magnetic levitation haptic interface systems for use by a consortium of haptics researchers in the United States
Psychophysics of Haptic Interaction - Quantitative comparisons of human subjects performing peg-in-hole experiments with real, virtual, and real-remote haptic environments
Robots in Scansorial Environments - We are developing a bioinspired climbing robot with the unique ability to walk on land and climb on vertical surfaces.
Teleoperation with a 12-DOF Coarse-Fine Manipulator - High-fidelity manipulation of remote environments using a 6-DOF robot equipped with a 6-DOF magnetic levitation fine-motion wrist.
The Electric Cable Differential (ECD) Leg - We are designing a bipedal robot to be capable of running, walking, jumping, hopping, and generally behaving in a highly dynamic manner.
 

Recent publications [View all 76 publications]

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