Undergraduate and MEng Research in the

Biorobotics Laboratory

Faculty advisor: Andy Ruina

Kimball 306

 

Projects concern the coordinated movement, particularly locomotion, of people, animals, or machines. Some projects involve construction and/or simulation of walking robots with human-like gaits. Others include muscle performance laws, biomechanics of various sports, and human-powered machines. Additional projects of mutual interest will be considered.

 

á Freshman/woman to MEng welcome

 

á 3 credit minimum; 10 hours per week minimum work for 3 credits. If your schedule doesnŐt permit this level of commitment yet, you are still encouraged to attend meetings and spend time in the lab, learning and helping with projects. You can then do a project for credit another semester.

 

á Can satisfy engineering writing requirement

 

á Introductory meetings are held at the start of the semester. See Laboratory Schedule for dates.

 

á You must have or develop some of the following skills: machining/fabrication, computer simulation/mathematical modeling, microcontroller programming, control electronics, experimental design, data collection, oral communication, and report writing. We will help you obtain those which you do not yet have.

 

á Generally at least 2 semesters commitment is required.

 

á You must be highly self-motivated, persevering, tenacious, resourceful, independent, and responsive to guidance. You will rarely be told exactly what to do on a day-to-day basis, but you will be expected to follow advice that is given.

 

á Grades will be based on periodic reports, presentations, contribution to discussion, net result of semesterŐs research, and on the utility and clarity of the final report. Note: the minimum hours requirement is for a passing grade but hours are not correlated to your grade in any other way.

 

á You may apply to work for pay instead of credit.

 

á Applications are due near the beginning of the semester, shortly after introductory lab meetings. See the laboratory Schedule, Information, and Application files for details on how to apply.