Since joining the Columbia faculty four years ago, Sunil Agrawal has developed a unique approach to robotics-driven rehabilitation and collaborates actively with physicians at Columbia University Medical Center. Through a range of innovative designs of robots and clinical studies, Dr. Agrawal has shown that novel training robots can help humans to relearn, restore, or improve functional movements. His laboratory has developed and is currently testing several clinical prototypes, including active spine and neck braces for scoliosis and ALS patients, pediatric walkers for cerebral palsy patients, cable-driven robotic systems and active leg exoskeletons for lower limb rehabilitation for stroke patients. All systems share a common thread of low form factors, robust data collection, and active feedback based on theories of human-motor learning.

Matei Ciocarlie is interested in reliable robotic performance in unstructured, human environments. His research focuses on areas such as novel robotic hand designs and control, autonomous and Human-in-the-Loop mobile manipulation, shared autonomy, teleoperation, and assistive robotics. The laboratory pursues novel hand designs that combine mechanical and computational intelligence, and make use of tactile, proprioceptive or range-sensing in novel ways. His group has developed prototypes for upper limb rehabilitation and industrial applications.

The three presentations below are part of research conducted in the lab of Dr. Hod Lipson. Hod Lipson is a roboticist who works in the areas of artificial intelligence and digital manufacturing. His work on self-aware and self-replicating robots challenges conventional views of robotics, and has enjoyed widespread media coverage. He has pioneered many aspects of 3D Printing, including bio-printing, electronics printing, and food printing. One of his innovations is an inexpensive, 3D-printable material that expands 900% in the presence of a low voltage current. This material is being tested as a means of creating robots with changeable morphologies and locomotion capabilities. Dr. Lipson has founded four companies, and directs the Creative Machines Lab, which pioneers new ways to make machines that create, and machines that are creative.

Joel Stein’s clinical and research interests are in the area of stroke rehabilitation. He has a particular focus on the use of exercise as a treatment, and on the use of robotic and other technologies to facilitate recovery of motor function after stroke. In partnership with Matei Ciocarlie, they created the MyHand orthosis—a lightweight glove that helps stroke patients regain lost hand strength and function—with the hope of improving access to physical therapy, speeding recovery time, and decreasing the cost of care. Dr. Stein has authored and coauthored two books on stroke recovery and rehabilitation for stroke survivors and their families, and edited a multi-author medical textbook on this subject entitled Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation.

As head of the Columbia Robotics Laboratory, Peter Allen has extensive experience developing robotic technology for multiple applications. Dr. Allen’s current research interests include robotic grasping, 3-D vision and modeling, and medical robotics.  Together with Dennis Fowler, they co-founded Platform Imaging LLC, a medical device company that is developing robotic visualization technology for minimally invasive surgery. The system uses miniaturized digital cameras and robotic controls to restore control of the surgeon's view to the operating surgeon.

Dennis Fowler is a pioneer in the field of endoscopic surgery and has extensive experience in medical devices, healthcare management, and clinical surgery. Prior to launching Platform Imaging, Dr. Fowler served as the Executive Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at Titan Medical Inc., a Canadian medical company focused on the design, development and commercialization of new robotic surgical technologies.