Robert D. Howe
Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University Press, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Inspire Institute, Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard College Observatory, Jilin University, Deakin University
Papers
123
Total Citations
7,064
H-Index
42
About
Robert D. Howe is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work spans robotic manipulation, haptics, tactile sensing, and surgical robotics — fields he has helped define over three decades of influential scholarship. At Harvard University, Howe has made foundational contributions to understanding how robots and humans grasp and manipulate objects, beginning with his early analysis of human grasp choice (1990) and a landmark review of robotic tactile sensing (1993, 295 citations). His work on surgical robotics has been particularly transformative: his investigations into force feedback during robotic surgery (2005 and 2007, 377 and 164 citations) provided the first systematic evidence for its role in delicate procedures, while his remote palpation research (1995, 295 citations) addressed how surgeons can recover their sense of touch in minimally invasive settings. Howe also co-developed the iHY Hand (2014, 597 citations), an elegant underactuated robotic hand that redefined affordable dexterity in manipulation. His contributions to soft robotics through laminar jamming (2018, 246 citations) and accessible tactile sensors using MEMS barometers (2014, 201 citations) further demonstrate his talent for bridging fundamental science with practical, impactful engineering solutions.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1A compliant, underactuated hand for robust manipulation597 citations · 2014
- 2The role of force feedback in surgery: analysis of blunt dissection377 citations · 2005
- 3Tactile sensing and control of robotic manipulation295 citations · 1993
- 4Remote palpation technology295 citations · 1995
- 5Robotics for Surgery284 citations · 1999
- 6Human Grasp Choice and Robotic Grasp Analysis265 citations · 1990
- 7Mechanically Versatile Soft Machines through Laminar Jamming246 citations · 2018
- 8A robust compliant grasper via shape deposition manufacturing232 citations · 2006
- 9
- 10The Benefit of Force Feedback in Surgery: Examination of Blunt Dissection164 citations · 2007