Page 10 - ME Spring 2020 Newsletter

RESEARCH ON A STICK: ROBOTICS AT THE STATE FAIR
The Medical Robotics and Devices Lab, under the direction of Assistant Professor Tim Kowalewski, developed a handheld robot in the most Minnesotan setting of all: the State Fair. As part
of the Driven 2 Discover building, the lab’s team
deployed a miniature delta “robot on a stick.” The
palm-sized robot, attached to the end of a wand, was powered by powerful brushless motors. It employed computer vision through a Raspberry Pi and featured a laser pointer.
This robot is a precursor of what the team hopes will be a handheld surgical robot that can be used to print live tissue onto body parts. But at the State Fair, it served as a fun challenge for attendees. Volunteers were given two identical targets and were asked to move the idle robot between the two targets as fast and as accurately as possible, clicking a button when the robot’s laser point reached each target. They would then repeat the same challenge with the powered robot. All test runs became data in the group’s experiments, and were captured in video as well as EMG data from users’ arm muscles. It was a win-win: the researchers were able to collect important data while giving State Fair attendees a taste of developing technology.
Graduate students set up the robot Robot demonstration for future engineers
Robotics
Tim Kowalewski (right) and team test the robot
The Minnesota Robotics Institute (MnRI) and ME
The Minnesota Robotics Institute (MnRI) connects faculty and students from across the University of Minnesota with industry professionals. At the heart of MnRI is a core of people — from the most senior faculty to the newest student — who push forward our mission to advance innovation and education in robotics. Here are the ME faculty who are a part of MnRI.
JULIANNA ABEL
MAX DONATH WILLIAM DURFEE SUHASA KODANDARAMAIAH
TIM KOWALEWSKI MICHAEL MCALPINE
RAJESH RAJAMANI Associate Director of Research
10 ME News Summer 2020