Oct. 15, 2004
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - As the field of robotics continues to expand, Lafayette junior and Trustee Scholar Jonathan Rowe of Reading has found himself on the cutting edge.
Selected from among Lafayette's top applicants, Trustee Scholars have distinguished themselves through exceptional academic achievement in high school. They receive from Lafayette an annual minimum scholarship of $7,500 (totaling $30,000 over four years) or a grant in the full amount of their demonstrated need if the need is more than $7,500.
Rowe, a computer science major, is helping develop a biomimetic, or biologically based robot, which could potentially out-perform machines rooted in mechanics.
"Normally, robots function without being concerned about the outside world and they're not very adaptable whereas biological systems are able to adapt to their environments and are sensitive to the world around them," Rowe says. "We're interested in a robot that is aware of its various parts, so if something is happening to it, it knows and reacts."
Rowe is working with Jeffrey Pfaffman, assistant professor of computer science, through Lafayette's distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
The motors of the worm-like biomimetic robot are linked together by a series of unique connections, in much the same way the simple biological system is designed, Pfaffman says.
"This arrangement provides a mechanical interpretation of how biological systems are constructed-it approximates how biological systems are put together," he adds.
If one of its motors should break, the biomimetic robot can develop alternate ways of functioning, much like a simple biological system finds ways to work around defects in its structure.
Rowe is responsible for writing programs that will allow the robot and the computer to communicate with each other.
As part of that process, he must create unique drivers, or circuits, that can communicate effectively with the specialized computer hardware.
"You can't just plug it in and have it work," Rowe says. "We have to be sure we know how to work with the hardware in order to get information from it and send information to it-I'm focusing on being able to send information to the robot and get information back."
The opportunity to work with both sides of computer science is one of the most compelling aspects of the project for Rowe.
"It combines hardware, the more physical component of the computer, and software, where I'm programming drivers in order to communicate with the hardware," he says.
Working with both sides of computer science is an opportunity not many students get, but Pfaffman believes Rowe is suited for it.
"Jon has some electrical background from high school and he did mechanical engineering for a year and then got into computer science," he says. "He is a really intuitive guy when it comes to programming. He's really focused and will just sit down and do things; it's like it just kind of happens behind the scenes."
The project is exposing Rowe to a technology only a handful of researchers worldwide are conducting.
"He's gaining other skills in seeing what's going on in this fairly esoteric wave of computer science," Pfaffman says, adding that he believes biology-based technology will become more and more common. "Biology does it differently, but it also does it a little better."
Rowe agrees biomimetics could hold great things for the future. But just as importantly for him, the project will give him an edge over other students as he continues his academic pursuits.
"This undergraduate research experience will be very helpful in doing research and working on my thesis in graduate school," he explains. "It's great to be able to work independently and work on something that might not necessarily have a known solution and have it be my job to find that solution."
Rowe is captain of the track team at Lafayette, and finished third in the 35lb Weight at the 2004 Indoor Patriot League Championships and was an Eastern (IC4A) Qualifier. He placed sixth in the 35lb Weight at the 2003 Indoor Patriot League Championships.
He previously conducted EXCEL research with Lorenzo Traldi, Metzgar Professor and head of math, which examined reliability issues in network technology.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students were accepted to present their work at the last annual conference in April. Lafayette also is spotlighted as a national leader in undergraduate research in U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges 2005.
