iHop Wins the Research Expo

February 22, 2008 on 3:54 pm | In Faculty News, News & Events, Science News & Hot Topics |

Christopher M. Schmidt-Wetekam (MAE) won Best Poster at this year’s Jacobs School of Engineering Research Expo for A SELF-TRANSFORMING REACTION WHEEL-STABILIZED CLIMBING ROVER. Also reported on KPBS.

The iHop robot was developed under the direction of Thomas Bewley, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who directs the UCSD Coordinated Robotics Lab. Over the past year, Schmidt-Wetekam and Bewley have been teaching the wallaby-sized iHop to perform increasingly amazing tricks.

It maneuvers on wheels like other robots, but can also balance in an upright position, quickly turn and roll, jump and even twist in mid-air and land without falling over. The robot’s gyroscopes and accelerometers feed sophisticated on-board attitude estimation and stabilization algorithms in its tiny silicon brain. Bewley said that not only does iHop and a family of similar robots have potential as toys, but they can also be used to search for people stranded in burning buildings or operate in a variety of other hazardous environments.

Congratulations to Christopher and his advisor, Thomas Bewley.

photo of Chris, l, and David Zhang, r, from Andrew Phelps/ KPBS