Research Thrusts

Demand for NextGen robots is expected to grow exponentially in the next decade because of their flexibility and affordability. Indeed, the soft robotics market alone was valued at over $1 billion in 2020 and is expected to exceed $6 billion by 2026. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for 25,300 additional robotics engineers by 2026 to meet market demands and job growth projections. To be competitive in the global labor market through innovative technology, we have developed this interdisciplinary graduate certificate program to train students in the emerging areas of NextGen micro-, bio-, and soft-robots, associated autonomous systems to guide them, and related advanced manufacturing techniques for their fabrication and interfacing with support systems. In addition to professional development through coursework, capstone experiences, and community engagement, team members involved in this program are carrying out cutting-edge research on human-robot interactions related to labor shortages, hazardous working conditions, and humanly inaccessible environments with core technical research focused on three thematic areas: Agricultural, Nuclear, and Underwater.