Past winners

Year: 2019

Graduate Category

  1. "A Novel Two Finger Gripper With Adjustable Stiffness", Sri Sadhan Jujjavarapu, University at Buffalo

  2. "The OriGuide: An Origami-Inspired Anti-Buckling Support for Medical Robotics”, Brandon Sargent and Jared Butler, Brigham Young University

  3. "Design, Prototyping and Testing of a Novel Variable Stiffness Compliant Robotic Gripper with Jamming Sheets”, Yuan Gao, Ohio State University

  4. "A Novel Variable Geometrical Structure Robot Hand for Linear-parallel Pinching and Self-Adaptive Grasping”, Chao Luo, Siyun Liu, Hong Fu, and Yixin Wang, Tsinghua University

Undergraduate Category

  1. "Dog Mimicking Mechanism”, Mostafa Sedky, Sarah El Feqy, Mohamed Abdallah, and Fares Fawzi, Mariam Hegazy, American University of Cairo

  2. "Design and Implementation of Autonomous Amphibious Robot for Water Surface Cleaning”, Iremanaz Cay, Sinem Sena Ertas, Moustafa Bekir, Merve Bosna, Istanbul Zaim University

  3. "Automatic Anti-Stall System for Aircrafts (AASSA) with Release Mechanism”, Youssef Emad Ahmed and Abdullah Medhat Aly, American University of Cairo


Year: 2018

Graduate Category

  1. "Novel Pin Array Universal Grippers for Self-adaptation and Dense-contact Grasping”, An Mo, Jingwei Su, Chao Luo and Hong Fu, Tsinghua University, Video Link

  2. ​“A Self-Deployable Self-Stiffening and Retractable Space Structure (SDSR) Mechanism”, Nathan Pehrson and Sam Smith, Brigham Young University, Video Link

  3. “Retractable Anti-Buckling Support Tube for Medical Robotics”, Brandon Sargent and Nathan Brown, Brigham Young University​, Video Link

Undergraduate Category

  1. ​“VGT ROBOT: A Novel Obstacle-avoiding Pipeline Robot with Variable Geometry Truss”, Wenxiang Zhao, Guojie Hua, Juewei He, Xiongbin, Tsinghua University, Video Link

  2. “A Novel Worm-inspired Wall Climbing Robot with Sucker-microspine Composite Structure”, Wenhao Yang, Chengle Yang, Ruijie Zhang, Tsinghua University, Video Link

  3. “DSCL Hand: A Novel Linear Parallel and Self-adaptive Underactuated Robot Hand”, Xiaofeng Guo, Yunwei Xiang, Hu Yan, Tsinghua University, Video Link


Year: 2013

Mechanisms - Graduate Category

  1. "Assured Safety Drill with Bi-Stable Bit Retraction Mechanism", Paul Loschak, Hao Pei, and Kecha Xiao, Harvard University

  2. "Second Place: Monolithic Two-Degree-of-Freedom Pointing Mechanism (The Hepta-Flex)", Ezekiel G. Merriam, Brigham Young University

  3. "A Contact-aided Composite Compliant Mechanism to Clamp and Stretch Soft Objects", Santosh Bhargav, present online from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

​Mechanisms - Undergraduate Category

  1. "ORICEPS Origami-Inspired Robotic Forceps", Clayton Grames, Bryce Edmondson, Eric Call, Landen Bowen, Terri Bateman, Brigham Young University

  2. "3D-Printable Compliant Control Valve", Weston Baxter, Zach Brough, Mitch Hortin, Joshua Kuhn, Jason Lund, Brigham Young University

  3. "Design of a Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle", Jeff Kohler, Ohio State University

​Robotics - Graduate Category

  1. "A Quasi-Passive Compliant Stance Control Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis", Kamran Shamaei, Yale University

  2. "Development of a Compliant Robotic Arm for Sensitive Manipulation", Nigel Cochran, Worcester polytechnic Institute

  3. "A Gyroscopic Actuator for Turning Humanoid Robots", Andrew Boddiford, Charlie Manion, Kwan Suk-Kim, Pradeep Radhakrishnan , University of Texas at Austin

Robotics - Undergraduate Category

  1. "Remote Controlled Robotic Firefighting System", Robert Richardson, Christopher Graf, Devon Hall, Matthew Lubaszka, Julianne Rudmann, College of New Jersey

  2. "Underactuated End Effector with Novel Linkage System for Full-Sized Humanoid Robot", Michael Rouleau, Michael Heller, Matthew Frauenthal, Virginia Tech

  3. "Small Autonomous Monitoring Platform for Lakes and Estuaries", Moustapha Diab, Uche Ezechi, University of Maryland Eastern Shore


Year: 2012

​Mechanisms - Graduate Division

  1. "A Large-Displacement Compliant Rotational Hinge", Robert Fowler, Brigham Young University

  2. "A Tri-state Rigid Reversible and Non- Back-Drivable Docking Mechanism for Modular Robotics Applications", Paul Mubarak, George Washington University

  3. "Adjustable stiffness structure Mechanism Using an Endoskeleton", Tae Myung Huh and Yong-Jai Park, Seoul National University

  4. "Underactuated Passive and Adaptive Gripper using Flexure Buckling", Gwang-Pil Jung, Seoul National University

  5. "Zero Stiffness Linear Motion with Large Orthogonal and Out-of-plane Stiffness", Nima Tolou, Delft University of Technology

Robotics - Graduate

  1. "Miniature In Vivo Surgical Robot for Single-Incision Surgery", Jack Mondry, Thomas Frederick, Eric Markvicka, and Joseph Bartels, University of Nebraska-Lincoln"

  2. A single motor actuated miniature steerable jumping robot", Jianguo Zhao, Michigan State University

  3. "REconfigurable MObile Robot for manufacturing Applications (REMORA)", Yang Hai, UM2/CNRS

  4. "Kraken", Marcello Calisti and Andrea Arienti, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy

Robotics - Undergraduate

  1. "Oryx 2.0: A Mobility Platform for Analog Planetary Exploration ", Joseph Amato, Jon Anderson, Thomas Carlone, and Michael Fagan, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

  2. "Highly-Anthropomorphic-Grasping Under-Actuated Robotic Hand with Naturally Coupled States", Chi Zhang, Bowen Li, Ye Kuang, and Jian Jin, Tsinghua University