From Rigid to Flexible: Nature-Inspired Miniature Robots

Title: “From Rigid to Flexible: Nature-Inspired Miniature Robots”

Date: Friday, May 8

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: VYKM-2

Abstract: Research conducted in the fields of biology and nanotechnology over the past few years has revealed how insects, small organisms, and small animals are able to move in highly effective, efficient, and robust ways. Robotics experts are attempting to use this knowledge to design nature-inspired miniature machines capable of moving across various terrain types, flying, and jumping. However, despite these advancements in the field of miniature robotics, the designs and capabilities of miniature robots remain quite limited due to constraints arising from manufacturing methods and our incomplete understanding of the underlying physical principles governing their motion. In this talk, we will discuss the mechanical design and manufacturing research, as well as modeling studies, being conducted at the Bilkent Miniature Robotics Laboratory to address these challenges.

Curriculum Vitae: Onur Özcan conducts research on nature-inspired miniature robots at the intersection of mechanical engineering and robotics. He completed his undergraduate studies in 2007 in the Department of Mechatronics Engineering at Sabancı University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in 2010 and 2012, respectively, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He completed his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Metin Sitti at the Nanorobotics Laboratory. Following his Ph.D., from 2012 to 2015, he served as a researcher at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, continuing his research on legged miniature robots in Prof. Robert Wood’s Microrobotics Laboratory. Onur Özcan has been a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bilkent University since January 2015 and serves as the director of the Miniature Robotics Laboratory within the same department. Onur Özcan, who conducts research in the field of miniature and flexible robots, has been awarded the Young Scientist Award (BAGEP) and the Mustafa Parlar Research Incentive Award for his work in these areas.