Abstract:

This talk presents a portfolio of community‑partnered research that uses co‑design to turn local needs into embodied technologies. I will share case studies that span environmental justice, accessibility, and disaster response. First, an intergenerational air‑quality program where community members learn programming, soldering, open‑source tools, and electrical engineering while building and then deploying DIY air‑quality monitors for advocacy. Second, biohybrid sensing with bioluminescent algae that rethinks disposability by leveraging living systems to reduce electronic waste. Third, a collaboration with a rescue team in Mexico to co‑specify and build low‑cost, heterogeneous search‑and‑rescue robots for collapsed‑structure scenarios. Fourth, a set of haptic interfaces inspired by the need for embodied learning, including stimuli‑responsive soft‑material devices that probe the sense of touch, a haptic mouse for blind students used to teach algebra, a clay‑based math simulator that turns functions into tangible forms, and a robotic loom that teaches robotics through art.

Across these projects, I will outline practical tactics for co‑design (building trust, translating community goals into engineering specs, and measuring impact beyond lab metrics) and discuss pitfalls and ethics. The aim is a reproducible practice of engineering with communities that is rigorous, open, and deeply usable.

Lab website: https://shredlabcmu.github.io/

Bio:

Melisa Orta Martinez is an Assistant Professor in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, where she leads the Social Haptics Robotics and Education (SHRED) Laboratory. Her research combines the areas of robotics, haptics, human-computer interaction, and education. Her main areas of interest are developing robotic and engineering community-motivated solutions. This has led her to work on a variety of projects including low-cost, open-source robotic technology for educational applications and understanding the effects of this technology on learning, studying the sense of touch, and developing novel mechanisms for human-machine interaction and search and rescue.