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EARTH Seminar Featuring: Professor J. Edward Colgate

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Speaker/Presentation/Workshop Academic Engineering Group Meeting Guest Speaker Information Networking Presentation Research Safety

Tue, Sep 1, 2026

11 AM – 12 PM CDT (GMT-5)

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Join NSF EARTH in-person and virtually for a presentation featuring J. Edward Colgate, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University and Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND).

Date: September 1
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 PM CT / 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Format: Online (Zoom) and In-Person at KU (Slawson Hall G192)

Dexterous manipulation remains one of the most significant challenges in robotics. Despite decades of research, no robotic hand has matched the strength, speed, sensing capabilities, durability, and versatility of the human hand. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have accelerated progress in the field, but fundamental scientific and engineering challenges remain.

In this talk, Colgate will introduce the NSF Engineering Research Center for Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND) and discuss the Center’s mission to advance human and robotic dexterity. He will also highlight research from his group focused on several key areas:

Novel actuation technologies for dexterous robotic systems
Electrostatic clutch-based approaches to overcoming limitations of conventional motors
Human-in-the-loop training methods for robotic manipulation
The role of haptics in improving dexterous telemanipulation performance
Future opportunities for advancing robotic and human augmentation technologies
Drawing on decades of pioneering work in collaborative robotics and haptic systems, Colgate will share insights into how new approaches to actuation, control, and human-machine interaction are helping move dexterous robotics closer to human-level performance. Bring your questions for our live Q&A!

Register here: https://erc-earth.ku.edu/september-human-augmentation-dexterity

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