Armour College of Engineering’s Mechanical Materials and Aerospace Engineering Department (MMAE) is hosting the lecture “Gripping Robot Feet: From Climbing Robots to Microgravity Mobility” at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 in Engineering One, Room 104. The lecture will feature Dr. Aaron Parness who works in the Extreme Environment Robotics Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

An expert in methods of prototype manufacturing, Parness has experience in microfabrication, polymer prototyping, and traditional machining (both manual and CNC). He has also worked on mechanical part design and mechatronic systems during his career.

This talk will explore various technologies that allow robots to grip their environment, enabling access to extreme terrain. Specifically, the talk will present LEMUR 2B, the world’s first rock climbing robot, the DROP-family of wheeled climbing robots, and gecko adhesive grippers for mobility on manmade surfaces like the exterior of the International Space Station.