Doctoral

With the ever-increasing production of portable electronics, internet of things devices, electric vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other autonomous robotic systems comes an increasing demand for reliable, long-lasting, portable power sources. Portable electronic systems are often limited by the energy density of the batteries that power them, and these batteries typically take up a large […]

Personalized medicine requires the identification of disease-causing agents prior to prescribing therapy. Currently, molecular detection requires shipping bio samples to centralized laboratories. The time delay between sample collection and test results prevents health care givers from making timely, informed decisions. Furthermore, there is a shortage in centralized laboratories and trained technicians in resource poor settings […]

Materials with electroprogrammable stiffness and adhesion can enhance the performance of robotic systems, including prosthetics, medical devices, wearables, exoskeletons, and grippers. However, achieving large changes in stiffness and adhesive forces in real time is an ongoing challenge. Electroadhesive clutches can rapidly adhere high stiffness elements, although their low force capacities, high activation voltages, and inability […]

With the global population projected to reach 9.1 billion people by 2050 there is a need to develop highly efficient agricultural systems that maximize crop yield. Precision Agriculture (PA) systems enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) offer a potential solution through improvements in labor, resource, and time efficiency to improve agricultural output. PA systems […]