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Biomechatronics Group Director

His research program seeks to advance technologies that promise to accelerate the merging of body and machine, including device architectures that resemble the body’s musculoskeletal design, actuator technologies that behave like muscle, and control methodologies that exploit principles of biological movement. His methods encompass a diverse set of scientific and technological disciplines, from the science of biomechanics and biological movement control to the design of biomedical devices for the treatment of human physical disability.

His research accomplishments in science and technology have already made a significant impact on physically challenged people. The Transfemoral Quasipassive Knee Prosthesis has been commercialized by Össur Inc., and is now benefiting amputees throughout the world.  In 2006, he founded the company iWalk Inc. to commercialize the Powered Ankle-Foot Prosthesis and other bionic leg devices.  Professor Herr’s work impacts a number of academic communities. He has given numerous invited and plenary lectures at international conferences and colloquia, including the IVth World Congress of Biomechanics, the International Conference on Advanced Prosthetics, the National Assembly of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, World Economic Forum, Google Zeitgeist, Digital Life Design, and the TEDMED Conference. He is Associate Editor for the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, and has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Experimental Biology, the International Journal of Robotics Research, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, and the Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences. He has been invited to participate in joint funding proposals from other universities and corporations, and has served on research review panels including the National Institute of Health, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2007, He was presented with the 13th Annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment. His work has been featured by various national and international media, including Scientific American Frontiers, Technology Review, National Geographic, the History Channel, and CNN.

Group Administrator

Lindsey Reynolds graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Psychology and a minor in Human Services.  She has corporate marketing experience from her role as an Associate Broker within B2B brokerage companies while living in New York.  Once Lindsey relocated to Boston, she became a Project Consultant for the ProPharma Group while working at Genzyme headquarters here in Cambridge, MA.  In 2013, Lindsey received the Consultant of the Year award while at ProPharma.  Lindsey now works for Professor Herr as his Senior Administrative Assistant as well as overseeing the day to day activities of the Biomechatronics Lab.

Research Staff

Dana holds a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering (Biomechanics) on the topic of non-rigid kinematics in human motion analysis (2016, Technion Israel institute of technology). Her research interests include human movement, musculoskeletal biomechanics, soft tissue biomechanics, and biomechanical design. Dana joined the Biomechatronics group in 2017 as post-doctoral fellow at MIT Media Lab where her current focus is on computational modelling and 3D imaging for prosthetic socket design.

Xingbang is a postdoctoral fellow in Biomechatronics. He received his Ph.D. degree majoring in mechatronics and a B.E. degree in material forming and control engineering, both in Beihang University, Beijing. His research interests include biomechanics, biomimetics, bio-inspired robotics, mechatronics, exoskeleton and rehabilitation robotics, etc. He is now working on running exoskeleton and the hip joint project with the Biomechatronics Group.

Graduate students

Tyler is a PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. He graduated from Harvard in 2014 with a B.S. in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering. As an undergraduate, he worked with the Biomechatronics group to develop a process whereby MRI data are used to create comfortable prosthetic sockets. For his undergraduate thesis, Tyler built a neurally controlled active exoskeleton for a rabbit. He is currently working on new ways to enable bi-directional communication with the peripheral nervous system, giving way to prostheses that more closely replicate the biological control experience.

Tsuna-Han is a PhD student in the Biomechatronics Group at the Media Lab. He is interested in biomechanics, robotics, and neuroscience. His research focuses on developing an optimal controller for robotic ankle prostheses, which involves modeling the human neuromuscular system. Tsung-Han has a B.S. in Bio-industrial Mechatronics Engineering from the National Taiwan University and a M.S. in Robotic Systems Development from the Carnegie Mellon University. Personal website

Bryan is a PhD student in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics through the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. He holds a M.S.E. and B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan. As an undergraduate and master’s student, his research focused on applications of ultrasound imaging to breast cancer. In the Biomechatronics group, his projects center on using ultrasound techniques for prosthetic socket interface applications.

Emily is a PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering department. She graduated from Harvard in 2015 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. As an undergraduate, she was a member of the Harvard Biodesign Lab, working on the design of lower extremity exoskeletons and soft robotics for rehab applications. Before coming to MIT she spent several years as a Mechatronics Engineer at Ekso Bionics, focusing on the mechanical design and human machine interface of exoskeletons for rehabilitation, human augmentation, and load carriage. In the Biomechatronics Group, she is currently working on the mechanical design of novel robotic prostheses for users with lower extremity amputation.

Tony is a graduate student within the Program in Media Arts and Sciences at MIT. He holds a B.S in Materials Science and Engineering with minor in Computing and Artificial Intelligence from the Georgia Institute of Technology. As an undergraduate, Tony conducted research in the areas of biodegradable nanocomposite synthesis, superalloy additive manufacturing, and transfemoral prosthesis control. His current research leverages biomechanical models to enable intuitive control of external devices through native body signals.

Shriya is a PhD student in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics through the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, with a concentration in biomaterials. Shriya’s undergraduate research focused on developing chemotheranostic agents to assess the efficacy of chemotherapeutics in real-time using imaging. Shriya is currently working on a regenerative peripheral neural interface that will ultimately enable patients to control their prosthesis with native neural signals. She is also exploring tissue-engineering approaches to create a strong and infection-resistant skin port for the transcutaneous components of implantable prostheses.

Roman Stolyarov  romka [at] media.mit.edu Office: E14-274B

Roman joined the Biomechatronics Group in August 2014 as a Ph.D. candidate in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics via the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He holds B.S. degrees in computer science, mathematics, and biology from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. As an undergraduate, Roman conducted research in the areas of computational neuroscience, cancer genomics, and developmental biology and also interned at KVH Industries, where he developed testing platforms for various inertial navigation systems. In the lab, Roman’s graduate research is focused on developing terrain adaptive controllers for powered lower limb prostheses and exoskeletons. Roman’s strength comes from his family, his close friends, and his desire to enable others to live healthier and happier lives.

Cameron started and finished an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering with the intent of pressing forward the development of neural-interfaced prosthetics.  Graduating from Brigham Young University in April of 2014, where his focuses included electromagnetics, control theory, robotic vision and digital signal processing, he joined the Biomechatronics Group at MIT’s Media Lab to continue that pursuit.  Currently, he is working on the development of an advanced electric motor design for implementation in a powered ankle foot prosthesis.  Cameron’s strength in his work and studies comes from his faith and his desire to develop technologies that will enable others to more fully fulfill their potential.

Matt is an MD candidate at Harvard Medical School and comes to the Media Lab through the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He received a BS in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2014. His main engineering interests are in the mechatronic design of medical robotics, particularly exoskeletons and advanced prosthetics. Clinically, Matt’s interests are in practical human integration of assistive technology. As an undergrad, he studied human motor adaptations to robotic simulators via human-in-the-loop analysis of the Da Vinci Surgical System. Matt has previously collaborated with the Biomechatronics group as a member of the exoskeleton team at SRI International in California.

SeongHo joined the Biomechatronics Group since 2017 as a M.S. student. His research interest is focused on novel embedded electronics design for next-generation active prosthetics and exoskeleton researches with emphasis on neurally controlled mechatronics system. He holds a dual B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech and Electrical Engineering at KAIST.

Affiliate Research Staff

Matt Carney’s work focuses on designing and building next-generation bionic limbs. His specialty in hands-on mechanical design engineering was born from years of experience working at the industry-leading firms Meka Robotics (humanoids) and IDEO (product design). He also developed chronically implanted medical device manufacturing processes at the Polymer Technology Group and did his masters work at UC Berkeley in the Medical Polymers Group building tribology testing equipment for hip and knee replacements. In addition to design, he also has strong research interests in controls, embedded systems, power electronics, art, design, culture, politics, civic action, and social justice. He holds a S.M. Media Arts and Sciences from MIT (2015), a M.S. Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley (2008), and a B.S. Mechanical Engineering from CalPoly San Luis Obispo (2004).

Bruce is working on a number of areas related to the design, fabrication, and control of prosthesis hardware prototypes.

Ken is working on a number of areas related to the design, fabrication, and control of wearable robotic simulators.

Ron Riso joined the Biomechatronics group in September 2011 to lead a project that aims to develop implantable devices that provide for bi-directional communication with peripheral nerves.  Dr. Riso initially worked with FES grasp restoration for spinal injured subjects at Case Western Reserve University for more than a decade to develop a tactile feedback system for a hand neuroprosthesis. From 1995 until 2003, Ron was Associate Professor at the Danish University, where he continued to work on developing nerve cuff technology to activate otherwise paralyzed muscles in quadriplegia and recorded afferent activity for closed-loop grasp control. While working abroad, Ron was principle investigator for several large consortium EU funded projects dedicated to spinal cord trauma rehabilitation (“GRIP”) and advanced powered prostheses (“Cyberhand”).  As a guest researcher at Professor Roland Johansson’s lab in the Department of Physiology in Umea, Sweden, he studied microneurography and the physiology and psychophysics of cutaneous and proprioceptive sensibilities.

Alumni and Former Labmates

Max Berniker

Madalyn Berns

Joaquin Blaya

Andrea Chew

Danielle Chou

Grant Elliott

Waleed Farahat

Todd Farrell

Jianwen Wendy Gu

Andreas Hofmann

Oliver Kannape

Pavitra Krishnaswamy

Katherine Song

Matthew Malchano

Jared Markowitz

Ernesto Martinez-Villalpando

Michael Palmer

Daniel Paluska

Goutam Reddy

Elliott Rouse

Sneha Thakkar

Andrew Valiente

Nathan Villagaray-Carski

Conor Walsh

Ari Wilkenfeld

Arthur Petron

Madeleine Abromowitz

David Sengeh

Matthew Furtney

Stephanie Ku

Michael Eilenberg

Jean-François Duval

Luke Mooney

Anthony Zorzos

Jiun-Yih Kuan

Benjamin Maimon

 If you are an alumnus of the group, and want your name to link to your current website, please contact Lindsey Reynolds with your name and the desired link address.

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The Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT) Program is an academic program and hub of critical art practice and discourse within the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P). ACT is headed by distinguished artist-professors and supported by a dynamic cast of practitioner graduate students and staff, visiting artist-lecturers, affiliates, and guests. Through an integrated approach to pedagogy, hosting, public event programming, and publication, ACT builds a community of artist-thinkers around the exploration of art’s complex conjunctions with culture and technology. It is not an art school in the traditional sense. The program’s mission is to promote leadership in critical artistic practice and deployment, developing art as a vital means of experimenting with new registers of knowledge and new modes of valuation and expression; and to continually question what an artistic research and learning environment can be and do.

Born out of the 2009 merger between MIT’s influential Center for Advanced Visual Studies (founded in 1967 by György Kepes) and Visual Arts Program (founded in 1989), ACT shares in a rich heritage of work expanding the notion of visual studies and pushing the capacity of art to enlist science and technology in cultural production, critique, and dissemination at the civic scale. As part of SA+P, ACT inhabits a vibrant ecosystem of programs, centers, and labs that continue to promote this interplay between science, technology, art, and design.

A cornerstone of the ACT program is “embedded research” engaging sites and publics beyond the MIT campus. CAVS inspired this commitment with its sustained, culturally significant engagement with the city of Boston. Embedded research is not only a way for our program to build bridges to other sites and communities in flux or in conflict, it is also a way for us to encourage our students to foster meaningful, sustained engagements as part of their practice, as artists and as citizens. This emphasis on embedded research, we believe, is part of what makes ACT unique.

ACT offers a rigorous and highly selective two-year graduate program, the Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology , as well as an undergraduate minor and concentration. It also offers a variety of introductory courses as well as subjects tailored to undergraduates majoring in architecture. Advanced courses related to specific media and topics are offered as electives for both undergraduate and graduate students. ACT studio courses are complemented by practical workshops and discussions in theory and criticism, often provided by fellows and visitors to the program. Studios also regularly involve research field trips, which, in addition to their research/pedagogical value, help ACT promote new circuits of artistic and scholarly collaboration.

For further information, email ACT or call 617-253-5229.

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ACCESS is a weekend of educational and informative events that will introduce talented sophomores, juniors and seniors to the benefits of a graduate education in chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science. The goal of ACCESS is not to prepare students for graduate school at MIT specifically, but rather to introduce them to the advantages of choosing a graduate career path at an institution that best meets each participant’s individual needs.

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Labbers awarded 2024 Education Innovation Grants

Photo by Yue Ma on Unsplash

by Amanda Diehl

Sept. 9, 2024

• #artificial intelligence
• #learning + teaching
• #social robotics
• Sharifa Alghowinem Research Scientist
• Hae Won Park Research Scientist
• David S. Kong Director, Community Biotechnology Initiative; Research Scientist
• Natalie Rusk Research Scientist
• Pattie Maes Professor of Media Technology; Germeshausen Professor
• Nataliya Kos'myna Research Scientist
• How to Grow (Almost) Anything - A New Model for Global Synthetic Biology Education
• Social Robots for Social-Emotional Learning for Arabic Speakers

Community Biotechnology

• Media Lab Research Theme: Life with AI
• Media Lab Research Theme: Connected Mind + Body

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Congratulations to members of the Media Lab community who have been awarded Education Innovation Grants by the Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) at MIT Open Learning.

Now in its eighth year, research supported by the Education Innovation Grant align to one or more of J-WEL’s three frontiers of innovation:  Campus as Catalyst ,  Pathways for Talent , and  Architecting Learning .  Eleven research projects were awarded a total of $749,768 and were proposed by investigators in nine departments, labs, centers, and institutes across MIT.

Explore the selected research by members of the Media Lab:

Empowering global synthetic biology learners using a robotic cloud lab network for enabling collaborative, scalable research projects

David S. Kong

To enhance bio literacy and engagement with synthetic biology, Kong aims to expand the MIT Media Lab course,  How to Grow (Almost) Anything , by creating a global “robotic cloud lab network,” allowing users without regular access to wet labs the opportunity to experiment and create. This network, organized by MIT, Harvard researchers, and supported by global teaching assistants, will provide community labs with programmable robots and supplies and a handbook to guide learning exercises. In Spring 2025, Kong will execute a global research project on protein therapies for antibiotic-resistant bacteria across the robotic cloud lab network.

Fluid Interfaces

NeuroChat: bridging the gap in personalized education through physiological sensing integration in AI-based adaptive learning platforms

Nataliya Kosmyna and Professor Pattie Maes

Generative AI could revolutionize education by offering personalized learning, but its implementation remains uncertain. The novelty of chatbots may fade, and improper management of learning speeds could widen achievement gaps. Addressing these challenges, Kosmyna aims to develop an adaptive learning platform, called NeuroChat, using brain sensing biofeedback and generative AI that will aim to personalize responses based on cognitive states. Working with platforms such as Khan Academy, NeuroChat seeks to provide customized support, enhancing individual learning paths and potential.

Lifelong Kindergarten

Remixable resources to expand creative learning opportunities with OctoStudio 

Natalie Rusk

Led by MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten group, Rusk will create remixable educational resources for the  OctoStudio  mobile coding app. These resources will help educators in the Global South and beyond engage students in creative, project-based learning, building skills like creative thinking and problem-solving. The project includes educator guides, workshop slides, coding cards, and sample projects, all designed with input from diverse cultural contexts and available in multiple languages.

Personal Robots

Interactive social robots for nurturing social-emotional skills in Arabic-speaking refugee children through culturally sensitive design and algorithms 

Sharifa Alghowinem and Hae Won Park

Refugee children from Arabic-speaking countries face integration challenges due to language barriers, literacy struggles, and social-emotional difficulties. Existing methods often fail to preserve their native language and cultural identity, impacting their education and well-being. Alghowinem and Park will develop an AI-driven social robot platform that aims to address these needs with customized Arabic automatic speech recognition, text to speech, and interactive applications. This platform will enhance reading, vocabulary, and social-emotional learning through culturally sensitive interactions.

How To Grow (Almost) Anything

Building upon the tradition of ‘How to Make (Almost) Anything,’ we are offering ‘How to Grow (Almost) Anything,’ a course to teach experi…

Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio

A new coding app enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively.

Researchers studying electrical signals in human brains are getting a little closer to reading our minds

On The World by PRX and WGBH, researcher Nataliya Kosmyna talks about advances in and potential applications for brain-computer interfaces.

Innovations in Diagnostics and Detection on the Road to Re-Densification

A discussion with leading researchers about currently available diagnostics and developing innovations for early detection of viral spread.

Media Arts & Sciences About Media Arts & Sciences

The program in media arts & sciences at the mit media lab.

The Media Lab's Program in Media Arts and Sciences (MAS) , housed within MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) , is home to over 200 graduate students and hosts more than 400 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROPs). Each year, the program accepts approximately 40-50 master's and PhD candidates with diverse backgrounds, ranging from computer science to psychology, architecture to neuroscience, engineering to materials science, music to design, and beyond.

Students come to the Media Lab through the Program in Media Arts and Sciences (MAS), based within MIT’s School of Architecture + Planning. Each year, the program accepts approximately 50 master’s and PhD candidates with backgrounds ranging from computer science to psychology, architecture to neuroscience, mechanical engineering to material science, and more.

MAS offers approximately 30 graduate courses  and several undergraduate subjects . Media Lab courses explore several themes, including, for example, human-computer interaction, communications, learning, design, and entrepreneurship .

MIT’s  Center for Bits and Atoms , an interdisciplinary initiative investigating the interface between computer science and physical science, also admits students through the Program in Media Arts and Sciences. The Center is known for its global network of digital fabrication facilities.

Image copyright Andy Ryan 

Fall 2024 Media Arts and Sciences Course List

Classes offered by the Program in Media Arts and Sciences for the Fall 2024 semester

Spring 2024 Media Arts and Sciences Course List

Classes offered by the Program in Media Arts and Sciences for the Spring 2024 semester

Fall 2023 Media Arts and Sciences Course List

Classes offered by the Program in Media Arts and Sciences for the Fall 2023 semester

Spring 2023 Media Arts and Sciences Course List

Classes offered by the Program in Media Arts and Sciences for the Spring 2023 semester

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

MIT (and Wellesley) undergrad students can work for credit, pay, or as volunteers. You can learn more about policies and deadlines on …

PhD General Exam

Everything you need to know about the General Exam for MAS Doctoral Students

MAS Degrees and Course Requirements

MAS Students: Learn more about your course and degree requirements here.

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Ireland Brown leads team to victory at the Space Station Design Workshop in Munich

“It kicked my butt, and I’m better for it.” says grad student Ireland Brown ( Engineering Systems Lab ) of her experience at the Space Station Design Workshop , hosted by the Technical University of Munich. The interdisciplinary engineering design and project management competition challenged participants from over 40 countries to develop a concept for a profitable commercial lunar infrastructure with a laboratory specific to propellant generation using lunar ISRU methods.  The teams worked all day — and in some cases, all night — to complete the challenge in just one week. Brown’s team, Team Weiss, emerged victorious .  Brown joined the workshop at the recommendation of her advisor, Prof. Olivier de Weck. The experience tied directly to research for her master’s thesis, which focuses on identifying correlations between logistics, architectural design, and operational costs in the context of commercial space profitability. “I was able to directly apply my research during the workshop as a part of my project management role. I was challenged in both my communication and time management skills,” says Brown. “My biggest takeaway though, was working with who I consider to be the top space engineering team in my generation,” says Brown of the connections she made during the workshop. “Getting to collaborate with people from all over the world was a once in a lifetime experience. Not only were they all extremely capable and self-disciplined, but they were kind, funny, and made the stressful work week something I’d call fun. It was my pleasure to serve them as project manager, and if I ever was one in the future, I’d hire them all ten times over.”

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