Acrobatic Robots

Dennis Hong, a mechanical engineer inspired by Star Wars, leads a lab at Virginia Tech creating innovative robots. His projects, supported by the National Science Foundation, include acrobatic robots, a robotic hand named Raphael, and Climber, a bot capable of scaling cliffs. Other creations include Impasse, a hybrid robot for rescue missions, and Hydras, a robot for dangerous scaffolding. Hong's team is also developing firefighting robots and humanoid robots that play soccer. Notably, they created the first car for the blind. Many designs stem from Hong's dreams, turning imagination into reality.

What inspired Dennis Hong to become a mechanical engineer?

Describe the types of robots being developed by Dennis Hong's team.

What is the purpose of the robotic hand named Raphael?

How does the firefighting robot designed by Hong's team operate?

What unique feature does the Blind Driver Challenge car have?