Robotics is poised to revolutionize work, education, and everyday life in much the same way the Internet did over past decades.
Today, some of the most innovative and foundational robotics work is being done at SEAS and across Harvard by collaborative teams of computer scientists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, material scientists, applied mathematicians, designers, and medical experts.
Researchers at SEAS benefit from access to in-house resources such as our motional capture labs, flight labs, soft robotics lab, research cores, scientific shops, and the Harvard Move Lab. They have access to the advanced manufacturing capabilities provided by Harvard Center for Nanoscale Research. Some researchers at SEAS work collaboratively with the Harvard Medical School, The Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the Wyss Institute at Harvard.
Robotics research at SEAS spans topics that are both basic and applied. Some areas of focus include:
- soft wearable robots for physical rehabilitation, assistive movement, ergonomic support, and enhanced training.
- medical robots for automated and minimally invasive surgical procedures
- autonomous search and rescue robots to assist first responders in natural or man-made disasters
- automated assembly at scales ranging from micrometer to meter
- bioinspired robots across a range of physical forms
- industrial robots for the automation of manufacturing or shipping
- smart clothing that senses and responds to human needs
- metamaterials that move and transform is novel ways
