Profession: Graduate student (Rice University)

Inspired by: As graduate students at Rice University, my team and I work to create and implement haptic technology into society in order to assist humans. We focus on the design, manufacture, and evaluation of mechatronic or robotic systems to rehabilitate, enhance and augment the human sensorimotor control system. Specifically, we utilize the sense of touch through tactile components in order to make the interaction between humans and technology or robotic systems more symbiotic. Through our designs we aim to make complex tasks, like surgery or controlling emergency vehicles remotely, safer and easier with haptic feedback. We also aim to provide opportunities for individuals with physiological impairments to better engage in their surroundings. Our haptic communication device, the MISSIVE, is not only an innovative form of communication, but it could also be used as assistive technology for hearing and/or visually impaired individuals, which is a major inspiration for us.