Krishna Udayakumar

Papers

Total Citations

316

H-Index

About

Krishna Udayakumar is a pioneering figure in the development of piezoelectric micromotors and their application in microrobotics and minimally invasive surgery. His foundational work, beginning in the early 1990s, focused on fabricating millimeter-scale ultrasonic motors using ferroelectric thin films on silicon wafers—a breakthrough that enabled precise, compact actuation for tiny robotic systems. His most cited paper, “Piezoelectric micromotors for microrobots” (1992), has garnered over 229 citations, establishing a cornerstone for microactuator research. Udayakumar’s contributions extend into the surgical domain, where he envisioned microrobots performing delicate procedures with minimal trauma. His 1998 paper, “Tomorrow’s surgery: Micromotors and microrobots for minimally invasive procedures,” with 45 citations, explores the convergence of artificial intelligence, robotics, and microtechnology to transform surgical practice. By overcoming challenges such as friction and scaling in conventional motors, Udayakumar’s work has profoundly influenced the fields of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and medical robotics, inspiring generations of researchers to push the boundaries of what is possible at the microscale.