Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

R. Malin Schemschat is a researcher whose work lies at the intersection of biomechanics, robotics, and optimal control, with a primary focus on understanding and modeling human locomotion. Her key research areas include inverse optimal control, push recovery, and the biomechanics of walking. Schemschat’s major contribution is the development of an inverse optimal control (IOC) approach to identify the underlying optimality criteria in whole-body human walking, as detailed in her most-cited paper (39 citations). This work provides a computational framework for understanding why humans move the way they do, assuming that gait is inherently optimal. She has also made significant strides in analyzing how humans recover from perturbations, such as pushes from behind, using dynamic multi-body models to generate optimal recovery motions (9 citations). Her research on joint torque analysis during push recovery (8 citations) reveals that recovery from disturbances requires higher internal torques, offering insights for designing more resilient prosthetics and humanoid robots. Schemschat’s work is notable for its practical applications in robotics and rehabilitation, bridging the gap between human motor control and machine locomotion.