Barry Trimmer

Barry A. Trimmer is a distinguished American Scientist whose research primarily focuses on biomechanics and soft-bodied locomotion. Trimmer received both his B.A. and Ph.D. from Cambridge University, concentrating in Neurobiology. He is currently professor of biology, Henry Bromfield Pearson Professor of Natural Sciences, and director of the Biomimetic Devices Laboratory (BDL) at Tufts University. [ [http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/faculty/trimmer/ Tufts University: Department of Biology ] ]

Trimmer and Tufts colleague David L. Kaplan (Biomedical Engineer) gained international attention upon successfully creating the world's first soft-bodied robot. The robot, or SoftBot, is composed of silicon and resembles a tobacco hornworm, a caterpillar that Trimmer has studied since 1990. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/science/27robo.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5070&en=91395fe7439a5b72&ex=1177128000 In the Lab: Robots That Slink and Squirm - New York Times ] ]

Currently exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City, Trimmer and Kaplan hope the SoftBot will help "spark revolutions in medicine, the military and even outer-space exploration." Kaplan believes that, among other medical applications, soft-bodied robots could replace tiny cameras that patients swallow to help diagnose diseases. [ [http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2008/03/03/News/Tufts.Science.Professors.Produce.Worlds.First.SoftBodied.Robot-3247464.shtml Tufts science professors produce world's first soft-bodied robot - News ] ]

Footnotes

ee also

* Robotics
* Robot locomotion
* Future of robotics

External links

* [http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/faculty/trimmer/ Website at Tufts University]
* [http://ase.tufts.edu/bdl/ Tufts Biomimetic Devices Laboratory (BDL)]