ARCHITECTURAL ROBOTICS LAB | CURRENT LAB MEMBERS

Keith Evan Green | Director, ARL
is a full professor at Cornell University in design (DEA) and mechanical engineering (MAE), and a Graduate Field member in Information Science (IS). He supervises PhD and Master’s students in all three affiliations: DEA, MAE, and IS. Green's ARL investigates a new frontier in human-machine interaction: meticulously designed, increasingly intelligent, cyber-physical environments that support and augment us at work, school, and home, as we roam, interconnect, and age. In architectural robotics, computation is embedded in the physical fabric of our living environments, manifested as robotic devices, furniture and rooms, indoors and out. Green’s book Architectural Robotics: Ecosystems of Bits, Bytes and Biology (MIT Press) defines this emerging field at the interface of design, robotics, HCI, and psychology. A registered architect and Senior Member of IEEE, Green earned B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Green researched or taught for extended periods in Barcelona, Milan, Auckland, and Delft. (Green's homepage)

Serena Guo | PhD Info Sci
is a PhD Information Science student at Cornell. She is interested in blending the physical world with the virtual world through multimedia, including mixed reality, tangible mediums, digital arts/narratives, to create innovative spatial experience. Her main goal is to bring human physicality into the digital world - to foster empathy in our living environment. She has worked in AR/VR companies and architectural design firms before entering the PhD program. Serena holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture at Hong Kong University and an M.Arch degree at Columbia University with an honor award for excellence in design. She enjoys exploring (cities, nature, books) and creating (design, art, food).

Deanna Kocher | PhD MAE
is a PhD MechE student at Cornell. She has a unique background in integrated engineering, arts, and sciences (IDEAS) from Lehigh University which focused on mechanical engineering, product design, and child psychology. She also spent an extra year of study focused on STS (Science, Technology, and Society) and child development, where she developed a passion for understanding the impact of different technologies on child development. In the lab, her goal is to develop "productive play robots" supporting the social and intellectual development of children. She believes that the changing landscape of parenting makes beneficial technologies not only relevant, but necessary. Outside the lab, she trains regularly in shotokan karate, is an avid fantasy reader, and enjoys hiking with her dog. Deanna was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

Mengni (Ni) Zhang | PhD DEA
is a PhD DEA student at Cornell the field of Human Behavior and Design. His interests include interactive environments, healthcare architecture, wellness design, and robotics. Before entering the PhD program, Ni worked for five years in San Francisco as a healthcare architect, developing a special interest in interaction and robotics for hospital settings. He holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell's AAP and a master's degree in design studies from Harvard's GSD with a concentration in urban resilience. He is also madly obsessed with Bach. 

Elena Sabinson| PhD DEA
is a PhD student at Cornell in Design + Environmental Analysis. At Drexel University, where Elena received her MS in Interior Design, Elena was an Assistant Teaching Professor. Prior to grad school at Drexel, Elena earned a BA from Binghamton University, where she studied Philosophy and Creative Writing. Elena is particularly fascinated with emerging technologies and how to implement these new interactions so that they increase empathy. She hopes to contribute to a new ethical landscape of human robot interaction (HRI), and explore the use of biological materials and digital design practices in creative and innovative ways.

Mark Worsley | MEng MAE
is a Cornell MEng student studying Mechanical Engineering and is interested in robotics for aviation and medical applications. Mark develops the pneumatic hardware and controls systems for the Architectural Robotics Lab’s Self Organizing Robot Team (SORT) system. Previously, in industry, Mark built robotic planes as a member of CUAir, Cornell’s autonomous plane project team. Outside of engineering, Mark loves honeybees, beaches, and a good book.

Olivia Robert | MEng MAE
is a Cornell MEng student in Mechanical Engineering with interests in robotics, product design, and human factors. In the lab, Olivia is involved with the SORT project, specifically helping to advance the hardware and software of the system. Outside of ARL, Olivia is a Resident Advisor and enjoys being a teaching assistant for several MAE classes. She hopes to pursue a career in product design where she can be creative while exercising her technical skills..

Ethan Valentine | MEng MAE
is a Cornell MEng student in Mechanical Engineering interested in product design and development in consumer electronics, automotive engineering, and human-robot interaction. He worked as a mechanical engineering intern and met some incredible people: at IBM he learned how to design components for cloud super computers, and at ASML he was exposed to the design of some of the most advanced lithography machines in the world. In Professor Shepherd Organic Robotics Lab, he worked on smart sensor wearable devices. Ethan loves to CAD and 3D print and has a strong passion for reading and writing in the young adult genre.

Aratrika Ghatak | BS ECE
is a Cornell undergraduate student majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in Business. In addition to working on the CommunIT project in the Architectural Robotics Lab, Aratrika is an E-board member of IEEE and pledging Alpha Phi Omega. Last summer Aratrika interned at the healthcare startup ReverCare. She is very fascinated with electrical engineering and its applications to robotics.

Robert Shield | BS MAE
is a Cornell undergraduate student in Engineering planning to pursue a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in the Dyson Business School. Robert loves tinkering with and working with mechatronic and robotics systems. He is a staff member in MAE’s Rapid Prototyping Lab, where he operates laser cutters and 3D printers, supporting both research and project teams. In the lab, he works on the home+ project for aging in place to ensure functionality of the home+ lamp robot.

Eli Vicarte | BS ECE
is a Cornell University undergraduate student majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in Robotics. She has an interest in bio-inspired robots, human-robot interaction, and space exploration. She is also currently the testing subteam leader of Cornell Mars Rover and is also doing some research at the Cornell Organic Robotics Lab. Her hobbies include playing games and music, of which she majored in the violin in high school. In the past, she has made home projects that bridge the gap between art, music, and technology. Currently, Eli is working on a project in the ARL that could potentially help the local library give its services during times of covid.

Ian Lee  | BS Info Sci & Biology
is a Cornell undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences and Information Science. With interests in medicine, biology, and healthcare, he asks how technology and design in tandem can inspire innovations that improve mental and physical health. Along with his involvement in the ARL, he is involved in a computational neuroscience lab where he carries out investigations and modelling of neural network pathways. Ian is great movie and TV series enthusiast. He envisions a future of medicine that is interdisciplinarily connected with novel applications of robotics and engineering.

Jin Ryu | BS ME
is a Cornell undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in mechanical systems and design. Minoring in Robotics and CS, she has a high interest in designing human-robot interaction that can entertain and elevate people’s lifestyles. She is a member of Cornell Cup Robotics team and an author of two papers from Student Design Competition at HRI 2021. In the ARL, she works on a library project to bring community services outside, partnering with Tompkins County Public Library. One day, she hopes to build a fascinating animatronic robot such as Na’vi Shaman at The World of Avatar, Disney Imagineering.

Jackson Hardin | BS MAE
is a Cornell undergraduate student majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in fine arts. Prior to joining the ARL he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology TTTD lab pursuing research on bio-compatible soft robotics. Jackson is fascinated by the intersections between engineering, technology, design, and art. In the future he hopes to bring a multi-disciplinary view to a career in robotics allowing for sound, intelligent, and beautiful design.