Welcome to RFFL
We build robots to understand the world.
In the Robot Form and Function Lab, we use robots as tools for discovery—engineered systems that help us ask and answer scientific questions. Our research is driven by curiosity: how does intelligence emerge in small bodies? How do physical structures shape behavior? How can machines interact with the world as seamlessly as biological organisms?
We see robots as more than machines or end products, they are physical constructs that combine sensing, movement, computation, and decision-making. Intelligence, in our view, comes not only from code but from how hardware and behavior are integrated within a body engaging its environment.
Our work spans robotics, biomechanics, and embedded systems, and draws on approaches from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. We study the remarkable capabilities of small biological organisms, particularly insects, and use engineering tools to explore their form and function. We design microrobots to test hypotheses, validate models, and uncover new principles that link structure, control, and behavior.
Each robot we build is a question made physical—a platform for exploring the interplay of structure, sensing, actuation, and control.
