Jessy Grizzle Delivers Distinguished University Professorship Lecture on Bipedal Robots

Jessy Grizzle delivered a lecture on his work with bipedal robots last week in honor of being named the Elmer G. Gilbert Distinguished University Professor of Engineering. Prof. Grizzle is also the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering, and a professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

The lecture covered the different iterations of Prof. Grizzle’s world-renowned bipedal creations since he started work on Rabbit in 1999. His most recent project, MARLO, is his first bipedal robot to walk freely outdoors. He also discussed the state of bipedal robotics in other institutions and described his blind, algorithm-driven approach to balancing and taking steps. After showing MABEL navigating rough terrain, he said, “I consider this super-human walking. I think a human would do a face plant.”

His session drew a large crowd of colleagues, students, and friends. Prof. Grizzle was particularly pleased to be able to express his admiration for Prof. Emeritus Elmer G. Gilbert, and thank him for the honor of taking his name for the professorship. Prof. Gilbert was a long-time leader in the development of theory and applications in the area of control systems, author of the “Gilbert realization,” co-founder of Applied Dynamics, and member of the National Academy of Engineering.

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