Dennis Hong

Dennis Hong is a renowned roboticist and mechanical engineer who serves as a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA.1 He is the Founding Director of RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory), where he focuses on innovative robotics research.1

Professional Highlights::

• Professor at UCLA since January 20142
• Director of RoMeLa since August 20042
• Inventor of multiple groundbreaking robots, including:
  • A three-legged walking robot called STriDER
  • An air-powered robotic hand named RAPHaEL
  • The world's first car that can be driven by blind individuals1

Academic Background::

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Wisconsin-Madison (1994)1
• M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University (1999, 2002)1

Notable Achievements::

• Named to Popular Science's "Brilliant 10" honoring top scientists under 401
• Won third place in the DARPA Urban Challenge1
• Led teams to first place in RoboCup's Kid-Size and Adult-Size Humanoid divisions1

Research Interests::

• Humanoids & Bipedal Robots
• Robot Locomotion & Manipulation
• Autonomous Vehicles
• Machine Design3

The Washington Post magazine has called him "the Leonardo da Vinci of robots".1