Petras Swissler
New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ·Engineering
Moving materials and debris by hand is slow, physically demanding and dangerous, both on crowded construction sites and in the aftermath of disasters. Labor shortages and high injury rates compound the problem.
- Fields
Engineering
Computer Science
- Topics
swarm robotics
modular robots
self-reconfigurable robots
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Jul 2028
What they work on
- Develop a swarm of interlocking hexagonal robotic tiles with motorized surfaces and docking interfaces that self-assemble into all-terrain conveyors, drawing on how fire ants link bodies into rafts.
- Mature decentralized routing algorithms modeled on slime mold network growth so tiles coordinate transport across unstructured disaster and construction sites without central control.
- Apply human-centered design to adapt the hardware and a virtual reality human–robot interface so non-expert first responders and construction crews can direct the system.
- Assess the translation potential of the robotic conveyor for construction material and debris movement through I-Corps customer discovery with industry stakeholders.
More about the research
Two linked projects develop and evaluate one answer: a swarm of robotic tiles that link themselves into a conveyor wherever one is needed, with no fixed infrastructure or site preparation.
Why it matters
Construction workers and disaster responders handle heavy loads in hazardous, congested places. A self-assembling robotic conveyor may reduce repetitive manual handling and jobsite injuries and lower construction costs, and may help municipalities clear debris and move equipment into affected areas so recovery proceeds faster and more safely.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Convergence Accelerator Bio-Inspired Design Innovations: All-Terrain Self-Assembling Robotic Conveyor System Inspired by Slime Mold Behaviors and Ant Assemblages
NSF · Aug 2025 – Jul 2028
I-Corps: Translation potential of all-terrain, self-assembling robotic conveyor system to automate material movement
NSF · Sep 2026 – Aug 2027
Closest labs
Sergei Nirenburg
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY·Computer Science
Assess the commercial translation potential of a cognitive-robotics technology through experiential learning and first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem.
Carol Menassa
University of Michigan, MI·Engineering
Identify, through participatory design with an embedded cohort of wheelchair users, the factors that determine whether an end-to-end mobility system succeeds for people with physical disabilities.
Jonathan Realmuto
University of California-Riverside, CA·Engineering
Design soft robotic actuators whose passive mechanical properties enable direct impedance modulation — control of joint stiffness and compliance — drawing on muscle topology, for upper-limb wearable robots arranged parallel to the joints.
The school
New Jersey Institute of Technology: 12 labs on PI Pages, $172M a year on research, 74 research doctorates a year.
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