Page 19 - ASME SMASIS 2016 Program

Symposia

1. Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Biography
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA Josh Bongard obtained his Bachelors degree in Computer Science from
McMaster University, Canada; his Masters degree from the University of
2. Universal Technology Corporation, Beavercreek, Ohio, USA Sussex, United Kingdom; his PhD from the University of Zurich, Switzer-
land; and served as a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University. In 2006
3. Aerospace Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, he was named a Microsoft New Faculty Fellow, as well as one of the top
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA
35 innovators under the age of 35 by MIT’s Technology Review Magazine.
4. Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force In 2011 he received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and
Base, FL, USA Engineers (PECASE) from Barack Obama at the White House. Josh is
currently the Veinott Professor of Computer Science at the University of
Vermont. His research foci include evolutionary robotics, crowdsourcing,
and machine science. Research Page: http://www.meclab.org/
Biography
Dr. Baur serves as the Principal Engineer in the Composites Branch of the
Materials and Manufacturing Directorate within the Air Force Research
Laboratory. His past work has focused on the processing and characteri- SYMPOSIUM 7
zation of electrical, optical and mechanical properties of polymer
composites for advanced applications such as smart structures, bio-in- HYBRID ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS FOR HIGH
spired sensors, nano-enhanced polymer composites, microvascular EFFICIENT ENERGY HARVESTING TECHNOLOGY: HYBRID D33/
composites, shape memory morphing composites, and organic-based D31 PIEZOELECTRIC ENERGY HARVESTERS
devices (LEDs, RVs, photonic elements). Dr. Baur has published extensive-
ly in the literature in each of these areas. His current interest is in
multifunctional and adaptive composite structures/systems for advanced Ji Su
aerospace applications. His education includes a B.A. in Physics/ Advanced Materials and Processing Branch
Chemistry from Illinois Wesleyan University, a B.S. in Materials Engineering NASA Langley Research Center
from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from Hampton, VA
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His career has also
included positions in industry (Borden Chemical, Hilton Davis Chemical,
GE Aircraft Engines) and academic labs (Institute for Soldier Nanotechnol-
ogies at MIT) in addition to more than 20 years of research and technical Abstract
management within the Air Force Research Laboratory.
A hybrid actuation system (HYBAS) was developed at NASA Langley
Research Center. The device demonstrated significant enhancement in
actuation performance and proved a concept: two electromechanically
“EVO DEVO SO RO”: EVOLVING SOFT ROBOTS THAT DEVELOP active constituents, offering opposite electromechanical response to an
OVER THEIR LIFETIME electrical excitement, can be utilized in a cooperative mechanism for
enhanced actuation performance. The proven concept has been
successfully applied to several electroactive-material-based actuators and
Josh Bongard transducers including piezo-material-based energy harvesting devices.
University of Vermont This presentation will provide a brief review of the proven hybrid concept
Burlington, VT
for advanced electromechanical devices and its application in a Hybrid
Piezoelectric-based Energy Harvesting Transducer (HYPEHT). Several key
performances of the device will be introduced and discussed in details.

Abstract
An introduction in the field of evolutionary robotics, in which popula- Biography
tion-based stochastic optimization methods (i.e. evolutionary algorithms) Dr. Ji Su is a researcher at NASA Langley Research Center. He received
are employed to optimize both the body plans and controllers for his Ph. D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Rutgers – the State
autonomous robots. Followed by a description of how incorporating University of New Jersey in 1995. Before he joined NASA in 2000, he was
development---the ability of a robot to change the material properties and/ a Senior Scientist of ICASE located at NASA Langley Research Center. He
or geometry of its body over its lifetime---can facilitate the evolution of has been conducting research in the areas of electroactive polymers,
such machines. Finally, a description of new work in which we evolve the smart materials, active materials-based devices, and related technologies,
developmental trajectories of soft robots, which provide much more as well as the applications of these materials and devices. He has
opportunity for lifetime change than traditional robots do, and thus published several edited proceeding books, book chapters, more than
increase their evolvability. In conclusion, a discussion about of the future 150 technical papers and presentations, 21 issued US and European
directions of the field of soft robotics is likely to take in the coming years. 19
patents, 24 NASA invention disclosures. He has been contributing to the
research community by organizing and chairing many international and