Electrical engineering

Eric Brewer and graduate student Achintya Maduri inspect solar panels

Power to the people

06/01/15 Berkeley Research — Computer science professor Eric Brewer and the students in his cross-departmental Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER) program are tackling power shortages in Africa, blindness in India, and other challenges where technology can make a major impact in the developing world.

Robotic coackroach launching a bird-like robot

Robotic cockroaches are perfect tiny aircraft carriers for robotic birds

05/27/15 Gizmodo — Researchers in the Biomimetic Millisystems Lab created a robot system capable of running and flying by combining their VelociRoACH (a ground-based robot modeled after a cockroach) with the H2 Bird ornithopter (a birdlike robot).

New ‘deep learning’ technique enables robot mastery of skills via trial and error

05/22/15 — UC Berkeley researchers have developed algorithms that enable robots to learn motor tasks through trial and error using a process that more closely approximates the way humans learn, marking a major milestone in the field of artificial intelligence.

Robott scientists help BRETT learn new tasks

New approach trains robots to match human dexterity and speed

05/22/15 New York Times — Linking several powerful software techniques, as Berkeley engineers have done with BRETT (Berkeley Robot for the Elimination of Tedious Tasks), makes it possible for a robot to learn tasks rapidly with a relatively little training.

Fostering disruptive technologies

05/01/15 — The Bakar Fellows program supports faculty who are trying to translate research into commercialized technologies.

ToastBoard

05/01/15 — ToastBoard is designed to make circuit design and testing easier. It's a better breadboard.

Dash Robotics

05/01/15 — These biomimetic, origami-like kits are designed to get kids (of all ages) hooked on building robots.

Jitendra Malik among 5 Berkeley scientists named to National Academy

04/28/15 — Jitendra Malik, the Arthur J. Chick Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, is one of five UC Berkeley professors elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's oldest and most prestigious scientific organization.

Paul Gray named to Silicon Valley Hall of Fame

04/17/15 Silicon Valley Engineering Council — Paul Gray (EECS professor emeritus, executive vice chancellor and provost emeritus) has been inducted into the Silicon Valley Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding professional achievement and significant contributions to Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area.

The cyber-biophysical research frontier

04/16/15 — Cyber-biophysical systems, our newest research field, integrates sensing, computational and communications networks with human biology.

UN honors nanotech pioneer

04/13/15 UNESCO — Connie Chang-Hasnain, Whinnery Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, was awarded a medal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of her innovative nanotechnology research.

Sheila Humphreys, Gary May and Lorraine Fleming

President honors 3 from Berkeley Engineering as outstanding mentors

03/31/15 White House — President Obama on Monday named Sheila Humphreys, EECS director emerita of diversity, as one of 14 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. Also honored were Berkeley Engineering alumni Gary May (M.S.'87, Ph.D.'91, EECS), engineering dean at Georgia Tech, and Lorraine Fleming (Ph.D.'85 CEE) of Howard University.

EECS professor Ana Claidia Arias demonstrates her wearable MRI wrap to Barbara Bakar and Arnold Silverman.

Bakar Fellows show off their discoveries to tech entrepreneurship world

03/25/15 — Sixteen UC Berkeley faculty, including many Berkeley Engineers, who are conducting commercially promising research supported by the Bakar Fellows Program traveled to San Francisco to deepen their connections with prominent venture capital firms, industry partners and entrepreneurs.

‘Smart bandage’ detects bedsores before they are visible to doctors

03/18/15 — Berkeley engineers have created a “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen - while recovery is still possible.

Cyborg beetle research allows free-flight study of insects

03/16/15 — Remote-controlled beetles equipped with radio backpacks are showcasing the potential of miniature electronics in biological research led by Berkeley engineers and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

New chameleon-like material

03/12/15 — Berkeley engineers led by EECS professor Connie Chang-Hasnain have created an ultra-thin film that can shift colors as easily as a chameleon's skin when pulled or twisted.

Wozniak, Matsuoka honored with Cal Alumni awards

03/03/15 Cal Alumni Association — Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist Steve Wozniak (B.S.'86 EECS), co-founder of Apple Computer, has been named the 2015 Alumnus of the Year by the Cal Alumni Association . Robotics pioneer and fellow EECS alum Yoky Matsuoka (B.S.'93), an executive at Google, Nest and Twitter, received an Excellence in Achievement Award.

Bringing the invisible to light

02/27/15 Berkeley Research — EECS professor Laura Waller is working on computational imaging methods for quantitative phase microscopy, which can be applied in a variety of scientific and industrial settings. Her work is supported by the Bakar Fellows Program for young faculty whose work holds commercial promise.

Ken Goldberg at the World Economic Forum

Forget the Singularity, let’s talk Multiplicity

02/26/15 Robohub — EECS and new media professor Ken Goldberg recaps his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he talked about artificial intelligence and took part in a debate on "Will Machines Make Better Decisions Than Humans?"

Ana Claudia Arias with a printed electronic circuit

Wearable circuits could extend MRI’s reach

02/13/15 Berkeley Research — EECS associate professor Ana Claudia Arias is creating new wearable electronics based on printed circuits, to allow easier and better MRI imaging of sick infants, among others.