Emily Lathrop
Papers
3
Total Citations
24
H-Index
3
About
Emily Lathrop is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of soft robotics, bio-inspired locomotion, and human-robot interaction. Her key research areas include granular jamming for adaptive locomotion, soft sensor skins for tactile sensing, and directionally compliant mechanisms for traversing complex terrain. Lathrop’s most impactful contribution is her work on shear-strengthened granular jamming feet, which demonstrated how tunable stiffness in robot feet can dramatically improve walking performance on natural, uneven terrain like soil and rock—a paper that has garnered 13 citations for its novel approach to a long-standing challenge in legged locomotion. She also developed rapidly-manufacturable soft sensor skins capable of classifying components of affective touch, a critical step toward enabling robots to interpret human emotions through physical contact, with 6 citations. More recently, her work on directionally compliant legs for crevasse traversal has pushed the boundaries of small ground-based robots, allowing them to navigate narrow gaps in rubble and other constricted spaces. Lathrop’s research is notable for its practical, application-driven focus, bridging fundamental soft robotics principles with real-world challenges in search-and-rescue and human-robot collaboration.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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