Title: Design, Simulation, and Programming of Magnetic Soft Robots
Abstract:
Magnetic robots at small scales offer unique abilities to navigate, manipulate, and operate in risky or confined spaces, making them ideal candidates for next-generation biomedical applications. This talk will introduce the rapidly evolving field of magnetic soft and microrobotics, emphasizing their unique capabilities and clinical potential. A comprehensive overview will be presented of foundational research conducted during doctoral and postdoctoral studies of the speaker, focused on the design, fabrication, and programming of magnetically responsive soft robots. Specifically, novel magnetic programming techniques will be discussed, including a heat-assisted method developed to minimize fabrication errors and enhance reliability. In addition, computationally efficient simulation tools will be introduced that can accurately predict dynamic robot behaviors, thereby streamlining the design and control pipeline. A data-driven design strategy will also be highlighted, enabling advanced robotic behaviors that were previously unattainable using traditional approaches. The presentation will conclude with an introduction to CELLnROLL, a pre-startup initiative co-founded by the speaker, which is developing robotic, high-precision, cell-based diagnostic systems aimed at enabling rapid, affordable, and informed clinical decisions in cancer diagnostics.
Bio:
Alp Karacakol is currently a co-founder of CELLnROLL, a pre-startup team focused on commercializing robotic systems for rapid and precise cancer diagnostics. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, with a minor in Business Administration, from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2016. He earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Subsequently, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck ETH Zurich Center for Learning Systems (CLS) (2023–2024). His research expertise spans the design, simulation, control, and programming of magnetic microrobots and soft robots, with a particular focus on integrating data-driven methods to address their complex, nonlinear behaviors. Currently, Alp and the CELLnROLL team are translating robotic innovations into clinically impactful solutions, aimed at significantly improving the speed, accuracy, and accessibility of cancer diagnostics.