Dr. Zeynep Temel

Biography

Zeynep is an Assistant Professor at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, leading the Zoom Lab. She is interested in bio-inspired solutions that enhance the mechanical intelligence of robots and their components. The current landscape of robots largely consists of rigid machines that operate in highly constrained environments such as factory floors, warehouses, and agricultural fields. There is an increasing demand for adaptable, mobile, and flexible robots capable of manipulating and navigating complex environments. Zeynep addresses these challenges through two complementary approaches: (i) developing learning control algorithms that enable robots to sense and adapt to their surroundings and (ii) integrating embedded intelligence within mechanical structures. The vision of her lab is to create robots that can mechanically conform to their environment and interact with objects, alleviating the need for high-speed, high-accuracy, and high-precision control methods. Additionally, Zeynep is passionate about teaching and actively engages in classes that focus on bio-inspiration in unconventional robotics, whilst trying to increase community interest in science and engineering.

Research Interests