2026-06-03 10:06:36
SPEAKER: Zeynep TEMEL, Associate ProfessorThe Robotics Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, PA, USA
Adaptive Robotics Systems Using Embodied Intelligence
Date: June 9, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 13:30
Place: EA-101


ABSTRACT

Current robots are primarily rigid machines that exist in highly constrained or open environments such as factory floors, warehouses, or fields. There is an increasing demand for more adaptable, mobile, and flexible robots that can manipulate or move through complex environments. This problem is currently being addressed in two complementary ways: (i) learning and control algorithms to enable the robot to better sense and adapt to the surrounding environment and (ii) embedded intelligence in mechanical structures. My vision is to create robots that can mechanically conform to the environment or objects that they interact with to alleviate the need for high-speed, high-accuracy, and high-precision controllers. In this talk, I will give an overview of our key challenges and contributions to developing mechanically conformable robots, including compliant dexterous manipulation and heterogeneous collaborative robots.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Zeynep Temel is an Associate Professor with the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on developing robots that can mechanically conform to the environment or objects that they interact with. Prior to joining the Robotics Institute, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Microrobotics Lab at Harvard University. She received her Ph.D. degree from Sabancı University, Türkiye. In 2020, she was selected as one of the 25 members of the Young Scientists Community of the World Economic Forum.

CONTACT

Onur Özcan, Mechanical Engineering Department, Bilkent University
E-mail: onurozcan@bilkent.edu.tr