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MEMS O’Malley to examine extending the human being through robotics at Scientia

BY JENNIFER EVANS
Rice News staff

Commercial applications of robotics abound that improve efficiency, like Roomba, the tiny robot that vacuums the house, or that entertain and teach, like RoboSapien, a toy-like robot that can walk, grasp objects and even dance. However, a number of areas of robotics research seek to extend human capabilities.

O’Malley

Marcia O’Malley, assistant professor in mechanical engineering and materials science, will discuss ”Extending the Human Being Via Robotics” at a lecture Nov. 14. The talk, the next in the Scientia series, is set for

4 p.m. in McMurtry Auditorium, Anne and Charles Duncan Hall.

O’Malley will discuss surgical robots, rehabilitation robots and new applications of robots for motor learning that have great potential. Applications range from enabling remote surgery, rehabilitating victims of stroke and spinal-cord injury, speeding the acquisition of new motor skills and potentially training amputees to use complex prosthetic devices. She also will discuss the implications of providing humans with skills beyond the innate or physiologically viable.

O’Malley researches nanorobotic manipulation with haptic, or force, feedback, haptic feedback and shared control between robotic devices and their human users for training and rehabilitation in virtual environments, control methodologies for improved performance of haptic interfaces and teloperator systems and educational haptics. She has been on the Rice faculty since 2001, is a 2004 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator and the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award in 2005.

For more information about Scientia, an institute for the history of science and culture, visit .