Hannah EmnettPhD StudentAdviser: Mitra J.Z. Hartmann
I'm currently a PhD student in the SeNSE Lab of Dr. Mitra Hartmann.
My research focuses on the sense of touch and the use of the whisker system as a model for the sense of touch. I specifically study rodents and pinnipeds and I focus on developing fully biomimetic, robotic analogues for these whisker system. These analogs are dual purpose in that they can be used to assist in areas where cameras are insufficient such as muddy waters, fog, or smoke but they can also be used to provide information cameras cannot provide such as flow sensing, texture, and compliance. Whiskers are essentially long, stiff hairs with sensing concentrated at the base of the whisker. My work is two-fold in considering both the development of the sensing portion of these robotic whiskers (follicle) as well as manufacturing the amplifying portion (whisker).
Presentations
| RSS Spotlight Talk 2018 | RCTP SMOS 2019 |
RSS- Robotics: Science and Systems
RCTP - Research Communication Training Program
SMOS - Seven Minutes of Science Symposium
Education
PhD in Mechanical Engineering Exp. 2021
Northwestern University - Evanston, IL
MS in Mechanical Engineering March 2019
Northwestern University - Evanston, IL
Dissertation Title: Bio-inspired Sensors for Tactile Exploration and 3D Contact Point Estimation
BS in Mechanical Engineering May 2016
University of Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Teaching
Spring 2019 - TA BME307 Quantitative Experimentation and Design
Spring 2017, 2018 - Lab TA ME241/BME270 Fluid Mechanics