The softer side of electronics

Soft robots are made of pliant, supple materials, such as silicone. Some can squeeze through tiny spaces or travel over broken ground — tasks that stymie rigid robots. The field of soft robotics is still in the early stages of development, but it offers remarkable potential. One day soon, soft robots may be used in applications as diverse as searching collapsed buildings or as exosuits that facilitate recovery from injuries or strokes.
 

Printing soft silicone robots

By changing the consistency of silicone rubber, John Morrow, a graduate student in robotics, enabled a 3D printer to assemble silicone into complex shapes. The breakthrough could hold the key to 3D printing of silicone soft-bodied robots. 

Morrow and his colleague, Osman Dogan Yirmibesoglu, a Ph.D. student in robotics, presented their findings at the 2017 Graduate Research Showcase. 

Three College of Engineering marine energy initiatives to receive Department of Energy funding

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office recently announced support of up to $22 million for 10 marine energy research projects, including three represented by researchers from Oregon State University’s College of Engineering. (The award amounts for each project are under negotiation.) 

Funny robots lead to best paper award

Naomi Fitter, assistant professor of robotics, won the Best Paper Award at the 2020 Association for Computing Machinery/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction.

The paper, co-written with John Vilk, “Comedians in Cafes Getting Data: Evaluating Timing and Adaptivity in Real-World Robot Comedy Performance,” reported findings that may provide key clues for how social robots can best engage people with humor.

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CAREER SUCCESS IN ROBOTICS

Where can you go with a degree in robotics from Oregon State University?

This past fall, two recent graduates who launched successful careers at Amazon Robotics returned to Corvallis to inspire current students with stories about life after grad school and to encourage them to maximize their experiences at Oregon State to achieve success in industry.

Global Formula Racing says auf wiedersehen to combustion car, and willkommen to driverless

Global Formula Racing — the partnership between Oregon State University and German university DHBW Ravensburg— has a storied and stellar track record. Since 2010, the team has racked up multiple top-10 finishes in race cars designed and built from the ground up.

So when the team took second place at Formula Student Germany earlier this month, it was no surprise. But when the car rolled across the finish line in Hockenheim, it was more than the end of the race, it was the end of an era.

Geometry of Locomotion

A majority of mobile robots that operate in the world around us either use wheels or legs for locomotion. The reason for this is the inherent simplicity of operation in the case of wheels and easy access to environments of societal interests like buildings, stores, and warehouses in the case of legs. These modes of locomotion generally perform poorly in environments with either heterogeneous ground or deformable substrates like sand, mud, and soil.

Socializing Robots

In “Star Wars,” R2-D2 is the perfect example of a likable and effective robot. Though he looks and sounds nothing like a human — with no face or hands, and communicating with only whistles and beeps — he clearly has a connection to his human co-workers.

“R2-D2 does a good job of illustrating that he’s paying attention. That’s important for people, especially in a collaborative scenario where you really want to understand what the other person needs,” said Heather Knight, an assistant professor of computer science at Oregon State University’s College of Engineering.

A Storied Building Earns a Well-deserved Makeover

Since 1920, Graf Hall — originally Engineering Hall — has endured as a stalwart of the College of Engineering. Over the decades, its cavernous high bay has housed materials labs, hydraulics labs, and steam and gas engine labs, all served by a 5-ton overhead crane. Using a monstrous, two-story machine nicknamed “the Nutcracker,” researchers brutally tested the strength of construction materials. Offices and smaller labs have occupied Graf’s west end and ground floor, and a radio tower once soared above the roof.