The Future is Here

Robots. Artificial Creatures. How will new machines change our lives? How will we change our machines?

In Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us (2002) author Rodney Brooks suggests, "Our relationships with these machines will be different from our relationships with all previous machines. The coming robotics revolution will change the fundamental nature of our society."

What do you think? What can you contribute?

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The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering Offer a New Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program

As a recipient of the National Science Foundation's prestigious IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) award, we are charged with establishing new models for graduate education and training. Our goal: to create a collaborative environment in which our research transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. The focus: soft material robotics.

We depend on all kinds of computers but robot assistants don't walk into our kitchens to help us cook. Current robots work well in factories or on the battlefield but just don't seem compatible with most human activities. What we need are safe, nimble, and friendly robots for the home and the natural world.

These robots will not look or behave like today's robots. This vision of soft robots in our homes, hospitals, and offices highlights an urgent need for new approaches to building such devices. Ultimately we expect that machines interacting with living systems will be biocompatible and biodegradable.

Traineeships are currently available. More information >