4800 Oak Grove Drive
M/S 82-110
Ethan Schaler is a Robotics Mechanical Engineer in the Robotic Climbers and Grippers Group. With backgrounds in Electrical Engineering (PhD), Mechanical Engineering (BS), and Micro- / Nanotechnology (MPhil), Ethan collaborates with researchers in a variety of disciplines to design, model, fabricate, and characterize new robotic systems at µm- to cm-scales.
Ethan is an expert in integrating meso-scale devices – particularly flexible actuators, adhesives, and sensors – to form a functional robot. He is also proficient in manufacturing these devices at both macro- (3D printing, machining, etching) and micro- (deposition, micromachining) scales.
Ethan is always interested in exploring new, unique actuation and sensing technologies (electrostatic, magnetic, piezo, etc.), so feel free to reach out!
He has previously interned at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2016 and NASA Goddard in 2006, was the recipient of the Churchill, NSF GRFP, NDSEG, and Goldwater scholarships, and was awarded the Best Student Paper award at MARSS 2018.
PhD @ Univ. of California, Berkeley (2018)
Electrical Engineering
MPhil @ Univ. of Cambridge (2012)
Micro- and Nanotechnology Enterprise
BS @ Univ. of Maryland, College Park (2011)
Mechanical Engineering
Internships:
2016 - NASA JPL (USA)
2009/10 - Tohoku Univ. (Japan)
2008/09 - RIKEN (Japan)
FLOAT – Flexible Levitation On A Track (NIAC Project Overview)
SWIM – Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (NIAC Project Overview)
LEAP – Legged Exploration Across the Plume (NIAC Project Overview)