Lecture by Robert Wood

This past Thursday I attended a lecture by Robert Wood from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Mr. Wood has developed methods of designing and creating robotic "insects" on the nano scale. While the idea of robotic insects itself is interesting, it is truly a feat of design to be able to mass produce these tiny products. Mr. Wood discussed the design process, the manufacturing process and the function and uses of his product. I'm particularly interested in product design, so I found it really fascinating to learn that his ideas for the robotic insects came from origami and his son's pop-up books. It was very cool to see these concepts translated into a self-folding "body", which simplified the manufacturing of the product lot. I was also curious about all of the different wing shapes he showed us that were tested on the body of the insect. I found it interesting that small adjustments in wing shape produced such different air patterns that really affected its ability to fly. Although he sped through the possible uses for his product such as agricultural use or national security, it was reassuring to know of practical uses for a product made on a scale that can seem trivial. Overall I enjoyed the talk and it opened me up to many new possibilities in engineering.