A 3D-printed bipedal robot inspired by the design of a commercial-scale robot aims to provide an open-source platform for studying and applying reinforcement learning. David Ho, a master’s student in robotics at University of Michigan, developed the one-foot-tall robot, named Legolas.
The design of Legolas is inspired by Agility Robotics’ Cassie robot. This includes inverted legs, like the namesake Cassowary bird.
A Center for Success student runs their Scratch program on an MBot to have it autonomously navigate the maze. Courtesy Brody Riopelle.
Brody Riopelle (CE 2024) recently proved that MBots, a University of Michigan educational robotics platform designed for teaching robotics to undergraduate and graduate students, could be simplified to introduce younger students without any programming knowledge to robotics.
By using Scratch, a coding language with a simple visual interface, Riopelle worked with the Center for Success Network to bring the exploration of robotics to a more elementary level.
Riopelle now works as an engineer in the U-M Robotics Department under the guidance of Chad Jenkins, professor of robotics, with support from the Sloan Foundation. He became involved with the Center for Success Network in Pontiac, MI, through his high school teacher, Serge Danielson-Francois. Together, they brainstormed ideas for establishing a robotics camp for underserved students and collaborated with Kendra Pitts, the Community Literacy Program Coordinator at the Center for Success.
High schoolers from the School at Marygrove in Detroit visited in June 2024, where they got hands-on experiences with quadruped robots, using augmented reality to control robots, and an overview of our MBot educational robotics platform.
Michigan Robotics is committed to expanding access to and opportunities in robotics inside the department and across the nation, inspiring exploration within robotics across all ages, levels, and backgrounds. We do this by leveraging an open curriculum, shared platforms, community events, and distributed teaching initiatives.
We also encourage community outreach among our students by recognizing those who have gone above and beyond. Each year, we name these students as our Robotics Outreach Ambassadors, which signifies the elevated status they have earned through their service to the community.
In a new milestone since launching the program in 2021, this year’s ambassadors collectively logged over 1000 hours of community service.
A video overview of the new interactive art piece located in the Ford Robotics Building.
Both the Robotics Department and its home base, the Ford Robotics Building, are relatively new–especially compared to neighboring departments that count anniversaries in centuries.
This gives department a dynamic culture, unfettered by tradition and able to adapt to the needs of its community and society. But, it also raises the question of how the individuals who make up the department see themselves, and the department as a whole.
The Robotics Department at the University of Michigan thrives on the principle that collaboration multiplies the quality and impact of our work, and we’re excited to announce new faculty who each bring their own teaching and research expertise to the program.
