Allison Mariko Okamura is an American mechanical engineer and

roboticist Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

whose research concerns

haptic technology Haptic technology (also kinaesthetic communication or 3D touch) is technology that can create an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user. These technologies can be used to create virtual objects in a computer s ...

teleoperation Teleoperation (or remote operation) indicates operation of a system or machine at a distance. It is similar in meaning to the phrase "remote control" but is usually encountered in research, academia and technology. It is most commonly associat ...

remote surgery Remote surgery (also known as cybersurgery or telesurgery) is the ability for a doctor to perform surgery on a patient even though they are not physically in the same location. It is a form of telepresence. A robot surgical system generally cons ...

, and

robot-assisted surgery Robot-assisted surgery or robotic surgery are any types of surgical procedures that are performed using robotic systems. Robotically assisted surgery was developed to try to overcome the limitations of pre-existing minimally-invasive surgical ...

. She is the Richard W. Weiland Professor in the School of Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where she directs the Collaborative Haptics and Robotics in Medicine (CHARM) laboratory and maintains a courtesy appointment as professor of computer science.

Education and career

Okamura was born in

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It ...

, and grew up in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. She majored in mechanical engineering at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, graduating in 1994. She went to Stanford University for graduate study in mechanical engineering, working with Mark Cutkosky; she earned a master's degree there in 1996, and completed her Ph.D. in 2000. She joined the mechanical engineering department at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

as an assistant professor in 2000, eventually earning a promotion to full professor there. She returned to Stanford University as a faculty member in 2011, in part to solve a

two-body problem In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is to calculate and predict the motion of two massive bodies that are orbiting each other in space. The problem assumes that the two bodies are point particles that interact only with one another; th ...

with her husband's academic career. She served as editor-in-chief of the journal ''IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters'' from 2018 to 2021.

Recognition

Okamura won the

National Science Foundation CAREER Award The National Science Foundation CAREER award is the most prestigious award presented by the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States Federal Government to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through rese ...

in 2004, the Early Career Award of the

IEEE Robotics and Automation Society The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE RAS) is a professional society of the IEEE that supports the development and the exchange of scientific knowledge in the fields of robotics and automation, including applied and theoretical issues. ...

in 2005, and the Early Career Award of the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics in 2009. She was named an

IEEE Fellow , the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and ot ...

in 2011, "for contributions to the design and control of haptic systems and medical robotics". In 2020, Okamura received the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Technical Achievement Award "for break-through technological developments in the field of medical robotics, including designing novel haptic feedback to enhance human performance and opening new pathways for soft robotics".

References

External links

Home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okamura, Allison Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Fontana, California American mechanical engineers American women engineers University of California, Berkeley alumni Stanford University alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty Stanford University faculty Fellows of the IEEE