The Laboratory for Intelligent Mechanical Systems is co-directed by Profs. Kevin Lynch, Ed Colgate, and Michael Peshkin.

Much of the research of the lab is in the area of human/machine interaction: interaction mediated by physical contact and the exchange of forces and motions (as opposed to visual interaction.)

Another area is the planning and control of motion planning and control (juggling, throwing, pushing, rolling, vibration, etc.). We also study self-organizing robotic systems, particularly decentralized control of mobile sensor networks.

We have an active association and many ongoing projects with the Sensory Motor Performance group at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Some LIMS students may be found at RIC's robotics lab working with frequent collaborator Dr. James Patton, on a variety of rehabilitation robotics projects.

Some research is directed toward new or better performing haptic or tactile devices. Recently we developed a "tactile field display" which can display software controlled tactile variations over the surfaces of a touchpad, much as an LCD displays brightness variations.

Our basic research in human-human physical interaction found that a pair of subjects perform better and differently on a shared task than either one alone, even though the participants believed they were interfering with each other. Dyads split up the task without conscious awareness of doing so, an apparent emergent capability of humans. This result was featured in Psychological Science.

The LIMS lab is the home of the Cobot (collaborative robot) a robot that works in close and natural interaction with a person. We've developed cobots into multi-output transmissions, high quality haptic displays, rehabilitation devices, and assistive devices for workers in automobile assembly. The latter developed into a spin-off company, Cobotics, and its products are now in use in auto plants in many countries.

Many patents and several spin-off companies have emerged from LIMS lab research. LIMS students are often co-inventors on the patents, and more than a few are employed in LIMS spinoffs.

You can contact us at:

Laboratory for Intelligent Mechanical Systems
Mechanical Engineering Dept.
2145 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208

(847)467-1070 (phone)
(847)491-3915 (fax)