FEATURE STORY
There is no doubt that the scope of mechanical engineering has changed dramatically over the years. From turbines and pistons to renewable fuels and biomed applications, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at
Carnegie Mellon has been a key driver of the continuing evolution of the field. Today, robotics has become a growing area of research within the Department. Robotics
innovations from MechE faculty are garnering national attention and making impacts in such diverse
areas as health and medicine, factory automation, security and personal protection, environmental monitoring, and geographic exploration. Emerging technologies in the exciting field of robotics are putting Carnegie Mellon on the map—and pushing the boundaries of traditional mechanical engineering.
Sitti: Innovations Based on the NaturalWorld Associate Professor Metin Sitti, who leads groundbreaking research in the NanoRobotics Laboratory, frequently appears in national and international media, including recent coverage on the Discovery Channel. Sitti’s accomplishments include a water- running robot modeled after the South American Jesus lizard, minia- ture swimming robots based on the movements of bacteria, and adhesives inspired by the sticky properties
of a gecko’s foot. Many of his innovations are inspired by nature and, by adapting the physical principles of animal locomotion to robotics systems, this inspiring professor is opening up new frontiers. “Tiny swimming robots can copy the fluidic propulsion
principles of bacteria to enter such areas as the human spinal column or the urinary tract, where they can monitor conditions or deliver medicine,” notes Sitti. “Larger robots can explore outer space,
hazardous manufacturing sites, or other environments that would not be friendly to living creatures. In my work, I seek to duplicate the incredible capabilities I see in the natural world, while taking these capabilities to a new level, where they can be applied to improve our quality of life.” As reported in the Fall 2009 issue of Carnegie Mech, Sitti recently
formed his own company, nanoGriptech LLC, to commercialize just one of his biologically inspired robotics innovations: his gecko-inspired repeatable adhesives. He has received approximately $1.35 million in funding recently for this new venture, from such sources as the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Nano-materials Commercialization Center.
Shimada: Robotics for Factory Automation and Medical Applications Professor Kenji Shimada is another MechE leader in robotics research and innovation. The work in his Computational Engineering and Robotics Laboratory (CERLAB) focuses on both factory automation and medical applications of robotics. Shimada and his team have developed a kinematically redundant robotic arm that improves upon industrial robots commonly used in
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