Robotics Faculty & Labs

The Robotics Center is an Interdisciplinary Program in the College of Engineering, featuring faculty from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and the Kohlert School of Computing, currently administered by Dr. Stephen Mascaro in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. A dedicated advisor will be hired in early 2024.

Faculty/Info

Research Interests

Laboratory

Jake Abbott
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2005
Office: 2676 MEK
E-mail:  jake.abbott@utah.edu
Phone: 801.585.6672
Google Scholar Citations

• Magnetic manipulation
• Medical robotics
• Haptics and telemanipulation

Magnetic & Medical Robotics Lab
Location: 2156 MEK
(Ph: 801.581.3129)

Edoardo Battaglia
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 2018
Office: 1339 MEK
Email: edoardo.battaglia@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Haptics
• Grasping and Manipulation
• Wearable sensing
• User studies
• Human-centered robot design
• Human-robot interaction

Human-Centered Haptics and Robotics Lab
Location: 1333 MEK

Daniel Brown
Assistant Professor
School of Computing
Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, UT Austin, 2020
Office: 2172 MEB
Email:dsbrown@cs.utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Robot learning
• Human-robot interaction

https://www.cs.utah.edu/~dsbrown/

Daniel Drew
Assistant Professor
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2018
Office: 2260 MEB
E-mail: daniel.drew@utah.edu
Phone: 801.581.6490
Google Scholar Citations

• Insect-scale robots
• Swarm robotics
• Novel microactuators
• Human-robot interaction

Drew Research Lab (DRL)
(Ph: 801.581.6490)

Jacob George
Assistant Professor
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Education: Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, 2020
Office: 2125B Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital
E-mail: jake.george@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Brain-computer interfaces
• Rehabilitation robotics
• Neural engineering
• Bioinspired artificial intelligence
• Intelligent prostheses and exoskeletons

Thomas C. Henderson
Professor
School of Computing
Office: WEB 2871
Phone: 801.581.3601
E-mail: tch@cs.utah.edu
Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin, 1979
Google Scholar Citations

• Computer vision
• Autonomous robots
• Smart sensor networks

Tucker Hermans
Associate Professor
School of Computing
Office: MEB 2164
Phone: 801.581.8122
E-mail: thermans@cs.utah.edu
Education: Ph.D. in Robotics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014
Google Scholar Citations

• Robot learning
• Robotic manipulation
• Computer and robot vision
• Robot perception

John Hollerbach (UURC Director)
Professor
School of Computing
Office: MEB 2196A
Phone: 801.585.6978
E-mail: jmh@cs.utah.edu
Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, MIT, 1978
Google Scholar Citations

• Robotics
• Virtual environments
• Human motor control

Hollerbach Lab
Location: 2196 MEB

David E. Johnson
Associate Lecturer
School of Computing
Office: MEB 3190J
E-mail: dejohnso@cs.utah.edu
Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Utah, 2005
Google Scholar Citations

• Geometric modeling and application in haptics
• Computer-aided modeling
• Robotics
• Human-computer interfaces

Alan Kuntz
Assistant Professor
School of Computing
Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Office: MEB 2162
E-mail: adk@cs.utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Shared autonomy
• Motion planning
• Design optimization of manipulators and tentacle-like, flexible robots
• Health care applications

Artificial intelligence and Robotics in Medicine Lab (ARMLab)

Kam K. Leang
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, December 2004
Office: 1348 MEK
E-mail: kam.k.leang@utah.edu
Phone: 801.581.3450
Google Scholar Citations

• Dynamic systems
• Estimation, planning, and control
• Multi-agent systems
• Nanopositioning and scanning probe microscopy
• Electroactive polymer actuators

Tommaso Lenzi
Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy, 2012
Office: 3340 MEK
E-mail: t.lenzi@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Wearable robotics
• Powered prostheses and exoskeletons
• Bionics
• Rehabilitation engineering

Steve Mascaro
Associate Professor (Lecture)
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2002
Office: 1151 MEK
E-mail: smascaro@mech.utah.edu
Phone: 801.581.7228
Google Scholar Citations

• Robotics and mechatronics
• System dynamics and control
• Haptics, sensors and actuators
• Human-machine systems

Sanford Meek
Associate Professor Emeritus
Mechanical Engineering
Education:  Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, 1982
E-mail: meek@mech.utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Biocontrol systems
• Robotics

Mark Minor
Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education:  Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, 2000
Office: 2153 MEK
E-mail: minor@mech.utah.edu
Phone: 801. 587.7771
Google Scholar Citations

• Design, modeling, and control of mobile robots — ground based and under-actuated climbing robots
• Robotic Educational Tools
• Medical Robotic Instrumentation

Robotic Systems Lab
Location: 2030 MEK
(PH: 801.581.9018)

Haohan Zhang
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education:  Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2019
Office: 2568 MEK
E-mail: haohan.zhang@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Design and control of wearable robotics
• Assistive technology and rehabilitation
• Physical human-robot interaction
• Sensorimotor and biomechanics
• Parallel mechanisms

Faculty/Info

Research Interests

Laboratory

Henry Fu
Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. Physics, University of California at Berkeley, 2006
Office: 2563 MEK
Phone: (801) 581-4119
E-mail: henry.fu@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Low-Reynolds number hydrodynamics
• Biomechanics and biophysics
• Complex biomaterials
• Microrobotics

Fluid and Biomechanics Lab

Yong Kong
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Education: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Princeton University, 2015
Office: 1543 MEK
E-mail: yong.kong@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Additive manufacturing
• Nanomaterials-based devices
• Biomedical devices
• Ingestible electronics

Additive Manufacturing Laboratory

Yin Yang
Associate Professor
Kahlert School of Computing
Education: Ph.D. from University of Texas at Dallas
Office: MEB 3454
Phone: (801) 585-7594
E-mail: yin.yang@utah.edu
Google Scholar Citations

• Graphics, Vision, and Visualization
• Simulation
• Machine Learning
• Robotics

https://yangzzzy.github.io/

Small Robotics Lab
Location: 0111 MEK
Research and teaching lab for small, table-top sized systems.

Large Robotics Lab
Location: 0112 MEK
Shared research facility designed for robots that need room to move.  The lab has workbenches and computing equipment to support research activities, as well as two Baxter robots and one Kooka robotic arm.  Additionally, the lab has a reconfigurable netted flight volume (25’x25’x25′) with Vicon motion capture system for conducting research on ground and aerial robots.

Lab Manager: Daman Bareiss
Faculty Supervisors: Kam K. Leang, Mark Minor, and Sanford Meek

Robo Utes Lab
Location: 0282 MEK
The RoboUtes are an interdisciplinary student organization based at The University of Utah. Students are invited to participate who are passionate about robotics or want to explore and learn about this field. RoboUtes is the place for students who are interested in learning and gaining hand’s on experience building robots. The RoboUtes believe in original work and implementation of classroom knowledge into real world applications.

Visit RoboUtes website for more details: http://roboutes.utah.edu