Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
Robots are getting smaller, but the batteries and control systems needed to make them autonomous are not shrinking at the same rate. I develop near-gram autonomous robots designed to operate where conventional robotic systems are too large, energy-intensive, or short-lived. My work explores cyber-mechanical intelligence, an approach that combines low-power sensing and computation with mechanical structures that use their own physical dynamics and surrounding environment to support movement, stability, and control. This has enabled battery-free robots that move using microwatts of harvested light or radio-frequency energy, shape-changing origami micro fliers that use wind for aerial transport, and coin-sized helicopters that achieve passive flight stability through lightweight flexure-based mechanisms.
Having received my doctorate in Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, and as a UW CoMotion Postdoctoral Entrepreneurship Fellow, I am working to translate these advances from research prototypes into practical robotic platforms. Working with Professors Vikram Iyer and Sawyer Fuller, I have developed technologies that challenge the assumption that meaningful mobility and autonomy require large batteries and energy-intensive control. By co-designing mechanics, electronics, sensing, and computation, I am building robots capable of operating at scales and power budgets that have historically made autonomous mobility impractical.
These technologies could enable new forms of persistent sensing and robotic access in environments that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to reach with conventional robots. My goal is to develop miniature autonomous systems that can be deployed at scale for applications ranging from environmental and agricultural sensing to infrastructure monitoring and other resource-constrained environments. Alongside this work, I am the co-founder and Executive Director of AVELA – A Vision for Engineering Literacy & Access, where I work to expand access to engineering and computing education for students across Washington State.