Kaushik Jayaram News

Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:56:02 +0000

Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots Jeff Zehnder Tue, 04/29/2025 - 08:56

Kaushik Jayaram envisions a day when swarms of tiny robots, some weighing no more than a paperclip, will crawl through airplanes or into buildings after an earthquake鈥攕earching for survivors or repairing components that no human could ever reach.

鈥淩obots could be really helpful in confined spaces,鈥� said Jayaram, assistant professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at 色视频下载. 鈥淚f they鈥檙e small enough and adaptable enough and agile enough, they can get inside a jet engine, for example, or an underground conduit to inspect electrical pipelines.鈥�

Kaushik Jayaram, right, in his lab with former graduate student Heiko Kabutz. (Credit: Casey Cass/色视频下载)

Recently, the roboticist got a big leg up in pursuit of that vision: Jayaram has received a $650,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to design small, shape-shifting robots that can complete a wide range of tasks. The funding is part of the NSF鈥檚 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program, its most prestigious awards for early-career scientists. In March, Jayaram and Laura Blumenschein at Purdue Universe also took home a complimentary $1.4 million grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory, the research wing of the U.S. Air Force.

The new projects will build on Jayaram鈥檚 previous designs, including mCLARI鈥攁 four-legged robot that can fit on top of a quarter and weighs less than half of a penny.

But to be really useful, these kinds of robots will need to be more than just small, Jayaram said. They will also need to be fast and powerful (agile), yet squishy enough to squeeze through cracks and around bends (adaptive). Those traits often bring trade-offs, but Jayaram wants to explore how robots can achieve both at the same time.

To meet that goal, he draws inspiration from what might seem an unlikely source: insects and other small creatures.

鈥淎nimals combine the best of both worlds鈥攖hey can be really agile, but they鈥檙e also adaptable and able to respond to all kinds of new conditions,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to build highly intelligent mechanical systems that are just like those biological systems.鈥�

Spider-bots

The researcher鈥檚 lab reveals those natural influences. Amid the circuit boards and soldering irons typical of robotics labs, Jayaram also keeps three different kinds of spiders: wolf spiders, which boast hairy legs, fishing spiders, which can stride over the surface of water, and crevice weaver spiders, which spend most of their lives in cracks and burrows.

These animals can do it all: Spiders can sprint when they need to be fast, turn on a dime and even stride up walls. If they want to crawl through a tight spot, they pull their legs in to shrink their bodies.

Through his new grants, Jayaram wants to build robots that can do those same things.

Currently, mCLARI changes shape, compressing its body when it encounters a narrow opening. But that process is passive鈥攖he robot simply squeezes down to fit the available space. Jayaram, in contrast, envisions robots that shape shift on command.

鈥淚f you want to be really fast, you can choose to be long and skinny,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you want to be stable, then you can be wide. We need robots to be smart and shapeshift.鈥�

Using pulses of electricity, the lab鈥檚 future robots will be able to not just shapeshift but also walk up walls or even along ceilings. The process relies on static electricity鈥攖he same thing that happens when you rub a balloon on your head. The group is also working to design a network of sensors that can extend over the bodies of their robots, allowing these machines to map out the world around them much like the eyes and skin of biological organisms do.

You probably won鈥檛 see tiny robots crawling over airplane wings in the next few years, Jayaram said. But within a decade, swarms of small robots may complete simple tasks, like crawling into pipes to fix electrical wires or take images of defects.

At the same time, he hopes to inspire the next generation of roboticists. His team has designed origami kits that give K-12 students the chance to build their own fully functional, bug-like robots. Kids can even choose how many legs to give their robots.

鈥淲e want kids to not be afraid of computers, and we鈥檙e doing that using biology,鈥� Jayaram said. 鈥淏ecause everybody loves bugs.鈥�

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Robots can鈥檛 outrun animals (yet). A new study explores why

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:58:02 +0000

Robots can鈥檛 outrun animals (yet). A new study explores why Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/29/2024 - 12:58

The question may be the 21st century鈥檚 version of the fable of the tortoise and the hare: Who would win in a foot race between a robot and an animal?

In a new perspective article, a team of engineers from the United States and Canada, including CU Boulder roboticist Kaushik Jayaram, set out to answer that riddle. The group analyzed data from dozens of studies and came to a resounding 鈥渘o.鈥� In almost all cases, biological organisms, such as cheetahs, cockroaches and even humans, seem to be able to outrun their robot counterparts.

The researchers, led by Samuel Burden at the University of Washington and Maxwell Donelan at Simon Fraser University, published their findings last week in the journal Science Robotics.

鈥淎s an engineer, it is kind of upsetting,鈥� said Jayaram, an assistant professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at 色视频下载. 鈥淥ver 200 years of intense engineering, we鈥檝e been able to send spacecraft to the moon and Mars and so much more. But it鈥檚 confounding that we do not yet have robots that are significantly better than biological systems at locomotion in natural environments.鈥�

He hopes the study will inspire engineers to learn how to build more adaptable, nimble robots. The researchers concluded that the failure of robots to outrun animals doesn鈥檛 come down to shortfalls in any one piece of machinery, such as batteries or actuators. Instead, where engineers might falter is in making those parts work together efficiently.

This pursuit is one of Jayaram鈥檚 chief passions. His lab on the 色视频下载 campus is home to a lot of creepy crawlies, including several furry wolf spiders that are about the size of a half dollar.

鈥淲olf spiders are natural hunters,鈥� Jayaram said. 鈥淭hey live under rocks and can run over complex terrain with incredible speed to catch prey.鈥�

He envisions a world in which engineers build robots that work a bit more like these extraordinary arachnids.

鈥淎nimals are, in some sense, the embodiment of this ultimate design principle鈥攁 system that functions really well together,鈥� he said.

A cockroach alongside the HAMR-Jr robot. (Credit: Kaushik Jayaram)

Cockroach energy

The question of 鈥渨ho can run better, animals or robots?鈥� is complicated because running itself is complicated.

In previous research, Jayaram and his colleagues at Harvard University designed a line of robots that seek to mimic the behavior of the oft-reviled cockroach. The team鈥檚 HAMR-Jr model fits on top of a penny and sprints at speeds equivalent to that of a cheetah. But, Jayaram noted, while HAMR-Jr can bust a move forward and backward, it doesn鈥檛 move as well side-to-side or over bumpy terrain. Humble cockroaches, in contrast, have no trouble running over surfaces from porcelain to dirt and gravel. They can also dash up walls and squeeze through tiny cracks.

To understand why such versatility remains a challenge for robots, the authors of the new study broke these machines down into five subsystems including power, frame, actuation, sensing, and control. To the group鈥檚 surprise, few of those subsystems seemed to fall short of their equivalents in animals.

Kaushik Jayaram, right, with graduate student Heiko Kabutz, left, in Jayaram's lab on the 色视频下载 campus. (Credit: Casey Cass/色视频下载)

High-quality lithium-ion batteries, for example, can deliver as much as 10 kilowatts of power for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) they weigh. Animal tissue, in contrast, produces around one-tenth that. Muscles, meanwhile, can鈥檛 come close to matching the absolute torque of many motors.

鈥淏ut at the system level, robots are not as good,鈥� Jayaram said. 鈥淲e run into inherent design trade-offs. If we try to optimize for one thing, like forward speed, we might lose out on something else, like turning ability.鈥�

Spider senses

So, how can engineers build robots that, like animals, are more than just the sum of their parts?

Animals, Jayaram noted, aren鈥檛 split into separate subsystems in the same way as robots. Your quadriceps, for example, propel your legs like HAMR-Jr鈥檚 actuators move their limbs. But quads also produce their own power by breaking down fats and sugars and incorporating neurons that can sense pain and pressure.

Jayaram thinks the future of robotics may come down to 鈥渇unctional subunits鈥� that do the same thing: Rather than keeping power sources separate from your motors and circuit boards, why not integrate them all into a single part? In a 2015 paper, 色视频下载 computer scientist Nikolaus Correll, who wasn鈥檛 involved in the current study, proposed such theoretical 鈥渞obotic materials鈥� that work more like your quads.

Engineers are still a long way away from achieving that goal. Some, like Jayaram, are making steps in this direction, such as through his lab鈥檚 Compliant Legged Articulated Robotic Insect (CLARI) robot, a multi-legged robot that moves a little like a spider. Jayaram explained that CLARI relies on a modular design, in which each of its legs acts like a self-contained robot with its own motor, sensors and controlling circuitry. The team鈥檚 new and improved version called mCLARI can move in all directions in confined spaces, a first for four-legged robots.

It's one more thing that engineers like Jayaram can learn from those perfect hunters, wolf spiders.

鈥淣ature is a really useful teacher.鈥�

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色视频下载 robotics research showcased in Advanced Intelligent Systems

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 16:19:21 +0000

色视频下载 robotics research showcased in Advanced Intelligent Systems Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/09/2024 - 09:19

Jeff Zehnder

Kaushik Jayaram's bioinspired robotics are on the cover of the latest issue of the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems.

The article, "Design of CLARI: A Miniature Modular Origami Passive Shape-Morphing Robot," discusses the design and creation of Jayaram's compliant legged articulated robotic insect.

Jayaram is an assistant professor in the Robotics Program and the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is an expert in robotics and systems design, materials, and work at the micro and nanoscale.

The cover shows a 2.59 gram, 3.4 cm long, modular origami robot capable of passive shape morphing.

These tiny robots provide unique abilities to access confined environments and have potential for applications such as search-and-rescue and high-value asset inspection.

Read the full journal article at Advanced Intelligent Systems...

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Jayaram and team win IROS Best Paper Award on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:28:03 +0000

Jayaram and team win IROS Best Paper Award on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/31/2023 - 13:28

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram鈥檚 Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Laboratory recently won the IROS Best Paper Award on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics, rising above around 3,000 other academic papers that were submitted to the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Along with Jayaram as the PI of the lab, PhD student Heiko Kabutz was the lead researcher of the paper, and PhD students Alex Hedrick and Parker McDonnell were coauthors, as well.

Their paper titled mCLARI: a shape-morphing insect-scale robot capable of omnidirectional terrain-adaptive locomotion in laterally confined spaces, improves upon their previous miniature shape-morphing robot to demonstrate the ability to passively change its shape to squeeze through narrow gaps in multiple directions. This is a new capability for legged robots, let alone insect-scale systems, that enables significantly enhanced maneuverability in cluttered environments, and has the potential to aid first responders after major disasters.

Kabutz and Jayaram鈥檚 latest version is scaled down 60% in length and 38% in mass, while maintaining 80% of the actuation power. The robot weighs less than a gram but can support over three times its body weight as an additional payload. It is also over three times as fast as its predecessor reaching running speeds of 60 millimeters per second, or three of its body lengths per second.

Check out their video of mCLARI here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbMi6ezXf-Y.

With the latest breakthrough that Jayaram and Kabutz have now achieved with their research, they are able to scale down (or up), their design without sacrificing design integrity bringing such robots closer in size to real-world application needs.

鈥淪ince these robots can deform, you can still have slightly larger sizes,鈥� Jayaram said. 鈥淚f you have a slightly larger size, you can carry more weight, you can have more sensors, you'll have a longer lifetime and be more stable. But when you need to be, you can squish through and go through those specific gaps.鈥�

Kabutz, who leads the design of the mClari, has surgeon-like hands that allow him to build and fold the tiny legs of the robot. Kabutz grew up fascinated by robots and competed in robotic competitions in high school.

鈥淚nitially, I was interested in building bigger robots,鈥� said Kabutz, 鈥渂ut when I came to Jayaram鈥檚 lab, he really got me interested in building bioinspired robots at the insect scale.鈥�

Jayaram鈥檚 research team studies concepts from biology and applies them to the design of real-world engineered systems. In his lab, you can find robots modeled after the body morphologies of various arthropods including cockroaches and spiders.

鈥淲e are fundamentally interested in understanding why animals are the way they are and move the way they do,鈥� said Jayaram, 鈥渁nd how we can build bioinspired robots that can address social needs, like search and rescue, environmental monitoring, or even use them during surgery.鈥�

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Tiny robot research featured in Daily Camera

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 16:46:59 +0000

Tiny robot research featured in Daily Camera Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/13/2023 - 10:46

Kaushik Jayaram's bug-inspired robots are being spotlighted by the Boulder Daily Camera.

An assistant professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Robotics Program, Jayaram is an expert in bioinspired robotics and biomechanics.

He is the creator of CLARI - Compliant Legged Articulated Robotic Insect. The robots were built in the style of insects; they're tiny, squishable and can shape-shift to fit through different gaps.

鈥淢ost robots today basically look like a cube,鈥� Jayaram said. 鈥淲hy should they all be the same? Animals come in all shapes and sizes.鈥�

Read the full article at the Daily Camera...

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Jayaram part of team that earns Outreach Award for STEM education

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 21:30:48 +0000

Jayaram part of team that earns Outreach Award for STEM education Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/23/2023 - 15:30

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram is part of an interdisciplinary team who have received a 色视频下载 Outreach Award for their efforts to get the next generation of STEM programming into rural K-12 schools in Colorado.

New science standards in Colorado require students to learn by working through problems rather than memorizing facts. These new standards, based on Next Generation Science Standards, represent a significant change in what students will be expected to know and how science teachers will teach.

To address these changing needs, Jayaram and his team want to develop a bioinspired robotics toolkit and an accompanying curriculum that will emphasize real-world problem-solving and hands-on learning. They call it 鈥淏uild a Better Bug.鈥�

The team brings together a diversity of disciplines. Along with Jayaram, Alexandra Rose of the Ecology and Evolutionary Department will help lead the team. Distinguished Professor William Penuel of the School of Education, Nathan McNeill, Stacey Forsyth and Scott Sieke will also lend their expertise in education.

The toolkits are inspired by Jayaram鈥檚 research in his Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Laboratory, where Jayaram and his research team study concepts from biology and apply them to the design of real-world engineered systems. In his lab, you can find robots modeled after the body morphologies of cockroaches and spiders.

鈥淲e are fundamentally interested in understanding why animals are the way they are,鈥� said Jayaram, 鈥渁nd how we can build bioinspired robots that can address social needs, like search and rescue, environmental monitoring or even use them during surgery.鈥�

The toolkits will give middle school students a chance to combine biology and robotics in their own ways. The kits will feature origami-based foldable body and appendage designs that are inspired by a variety of insects, such as cockroach legs, ladybug wings or mantis claws.

After combining and rearranging parts to make their own unique bug, the students will use Python/Arduino-compatible open-source electronics to drive the robot and its biologically inspired sensors. Also, the students will have a Chromebook-compatible app to program, communicate and play with their designs.

While building and interacting with their robot bugs, students will probe the underlying principles of what makes certain species evolutionarily successful and how we could perhaps learn from those insights.

鈥淚 love the opportunity to work at the intersection of biology and engineering,鈥� Rose said. "And I hope to co-opt students鈥� excitement about robots to get them secretly learning about topics as seemingly diverse as physics, physiology, evolution, and the engineering design process.鈥�

By leveraging CU鈥檚 partnership with Colorado Mesa University, Jayaram and his cohort plan to target an audience in a more rural part of the state to pilot the project. Also, they plan to work with the Eureka McConnel Science Museum in Grand Junction, which runs educational and youth camps and served 26,682 learners in 2022 alone.

鈥淲e want our primary audience to be students who don鈥檛 have ready access to the exciting science and engineering happening at CU,鈥� Jayaram said. 鈥淭hat includes students who live away from the urban centers of our state.鈥�

Jayaram also hopes the project can address gender biases in STEM through the way in which it bridges robotics with so many other different disciplines.

As Jayaram and his cohort pilot 鈥淏uild a Better Bug,鈥� they plan to collect feedback from both students and teachers. Through photos, student-made videos, interviews and reflection exercises, they will fine-tune the toolkits and accompanying curriculum for future iterations.

鈥淲e are excited to field-test these materials and believe that they will create impactful learning experiences for students,鈥� Jayaram said.

Jayaram and his collaborators are actively looking for talented undergraduate and graduate students who would like to contribute to the project. If you have experience in computer science and electronics and are interested in education and outreach, don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out: Kaushik.jayaram@colorado.edu.

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Video: Kaushik Jayaram on Bio-Inspired Engineering

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 18:42:09 +0000

Video: Kaushik Jayaram on Bio-Inspired Engineering Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:42

Inspired by the natural world, Kaushik Jayaram heads up the Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Laboratory (AIM-RL) at 色视频下载. The group aims to develop robotic devices that benefit and enhance human capabilities in the areas of search and rescue, inspection and maintenance, personal assistance, and environmental monitoring. As an assistant professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jayaram's work is highly interdisciplinary, working at the crossroads of engineering, biomimicry and design.

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