Noah Jafferis

Noah Thomas Jafferis

Assistant Professor

College
Francis College of Engineering
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office
Shared Robotics Lab: Southwick, Room 401
Email
Noah_Jafferis@uml.edu

Expertise

Micro-Robotics, Piezoelectric Actuation and Sensing, Flapping-Wing Vehicles, Bio-Inspired Engineering

Research Interests

Millimeter-Scale Mechanisms and Devices / Microrobotics: Flying Robots, Rotary and Linear Actuators, Fans, Sensors. Fabrication, System Design, Modeling, Scaling Analysis, Untethered Operation, Meso-Scale Mass Production. Bio-Inspired Engineering, Piezoelectrics, Energy Harvesting, Smart Structures.

Education

  • Ph.D.: Electrical Engineering (Electronic Materials and Devices), Princeton University, 2012 
  • B.S.: Electrical Engineering, Yale University, 2005

Biosketch

Noah T. Jafferis, Ph.D., was home-schooled until entering Yale University at the age of 16, where he received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2005. Noah obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University in 2012, and was a postdoctoral researcher in Harvard University's Microrobotics Lab.

At Princeton, Noah's research included printing silicon from nanoparticle suspensions and the development of a "flying carpet" (traveling wave based propulsion of a thin plastic sheet).

His research at Harvard included nonlinear resonance modeling, scaling and system optimization for flapping-wing vehicles; piezoelectric actuators and motors (manufacturing and modeling for optimal power density, efficiency, and lifetime); piezoelectric peristaltic pump thrusters; solar power for autonomous operation of insect-scale robots; and self-sensing actuation.

Some of his many research interests include micro/nano-robotics, bio-inspired engineering, 3D integrated circuits, MEMS/NEMS, piezoelectrics, 3D printing, energy harvesting and large-area/flexible electronics.

Selected Publications

  • “The Delta-Motor: A Multi-Modal, High-Speed, Flexure-Based Piezoelectric Motor,” Noah T. Jafferis and Robert J. Wood. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 366, 114927 (2024).
  • “A Streamlined Fabrication Process for High Energy Density Piezoelectric Bending Actuators,” Noah T. Jafferis, Kaushik Jayaram, Peter A. York, and Robert J. Wood. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 332 (2), 113155 (2021).
  • “A Fabrication Strategy for Reconfigurable Millimeter-Scale Metamaterials,” Hayley D. McClintock*, Neel Doshi*, Agustin Iniguez-Rabago*, James C. Weaver, Noah T. Jafferis, Kaushik Jayaram, Robert J. Wood, and Johannes T.B. Overvelde. Advanced Functional Materials, 31, 2103428 (2021).
  • "Piezoelectric Grippers for Mobile Micromanipulation," Tristan Abondance, Kaushik Jayaram, Noah T. Jafferis, Jennifer Shum, and Robert Wood IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 5 (3), 4407-4414 (2020)
  • "Millimeter-Sized Piezoelectric Flextensional Actuators with Improved Mechanical Efficiency" Peter York, Noah T. Jafferis, and Robert J. Wood, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 112066 (2020)
  • "Untethered Flight of an Insect-Sized Flapping-Wing Microscale Aerial Vehicle" Noah T. Jafferis*, E. Farrell Helbling*, Michael Karpelson, and Robert J. Wood Nature 570 (7762), 491 (2019)
  • "Concomitant Sensing and Actuation for Piezoelectric Microrobots," Kaushik Jayaram, Noah T. Jafferis, Neel Doshi, Ben Goldberg, and Robert J. Wood. Smart Materials and Structures 27 (6), 065028 (2018)
  • "A Biologically Inspired, Flapping-Wing, Hybrid Aerial-Aquatic Microrobot," Yufeng Chen, Hongqiang Wang, E. Farrell Helbling, Noah T. Jafferis, Raphael Zufferey, Aaron Ong, Kevin Ma, Nicholas Gravish, Pakpong Chirarattananon, Mirko Kovac, and Robert J. Wood. Science Robotics 2 (11), 5619 (2017)
  • "Meso Scale Piezoelectric Flextensional Actuators" Peter York, Noah T. Jafferis, and Robert J. Wood. Smart Materials and Structures 27 (1), 015008 (2017)
  • "Multilayer Laminated Piezoelectric Bending Actuators: Design and Manufacturing for Optimum Power Density and Efficiency," Noah T. Jafferis, Mario Lok, Nastasia Winey, Gu-Yeon Wei, and Robert J. Wood. Smart Materials and Structures 25 (5), 055033 (2016)
  • "Perching and Takeoff of a Robotic Insect on Overhangs Using Switchable Electrostatic Adhesion," Moritz A. Graule, Pakpong Chirarattananon, Sawyer B. Fuller, Noah T. Jafferis, Kevin Y. Ma, M. Spenko, R. Kornbluh, and Robert J. Wood. Science 352 (6288), 978-982 (2016)
  • "Non-linear Resonance Modeling and System Design Improvements for Underactuated Flapping-wing Vehicles," Noah T. Jafferis, Moritz A. Graule, and Robert J. Wood. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Stockholm, Sweden (2016)
  • "Development of a 3.2g Untethered Flapping-Wing Platform for Flight Energetics and Control Experiments," Michelle H. Rosen, Geoffroy le Pivain, Ranjana Sahai, Noah T. Jafferis, and Robert J. Wood. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Stockholm, Sweden (2016)
  • "Design and Manufacturing Rules for Maximizing the Performance of Polycrystalline Piezoelectric Bending Actuators," Noah T. Jafferis, Michael J. Smith, and Robert J. Wood. Smart Materials and Structures 24 (6), 065023 (2015)
  • "Model Driven Design for Flexure-Based Microrobots," Neel Doshi, Ben Goldberg, Ranjana Sahai, Noah Jafferis, Dan Aukes, and Robert J. Wood. IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Hamburg, Germany (2015)
  • "Feedback Control of a Legged Microrobot with On-Board Sensing," Remo Bru¨hwiler, Ben Goldberg, Neel Doshi, Onur Ozcan, Noah Jafferis, Mike Karpelson, and Robert J. Wood. IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Hamburg, Germany (2015)
  • "Fundamental and Experimental Conditions for the Realization of Traveling-Wave-Induced Aerodynamic Propulsive Forces by Piezoelectrically-Deformed Plastic Substrates," Noah T. Jafferis and James C. Sturm. Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems 22 (2), 495-505 (2013)
  • "Formation and Post-Deposition Compression of Smooth and Processable Silicon Thin Films from Nanoparticle Suspensions," Noah T. Jafferis and James C. Sturm. Journal of Applied Physics 111, 064316 (2012)
  • "Traveling Wave-Induced Aerodynamic Propulsive Forces using Piezoelectrically Deformed Substrates," Noah T. Jafferis, Howard A. Stone, and James C. Sturm. Applied Physics Letters 99, 114102 (2011)
  • "Piezoelectric Ribbons Printed onto Rubber for Flexible Energy Conversion" Yi Qi, Noah T. Jafferis, Kenneth Lyons, Jr., Christine M. Lee, Habib Ahmad, and Michael C. McAlpine. Nano Letters 10, 524-528 (2010)

Selected Presentations

  • “Untethered Flight of the RoboBee X-Wing: Bio-Inspired Design and Behavioral Insights” – Talk, March 2023, Villanova University Mechanical Engineering Dept. Seminar Series
  • “Bio-Inspired Robotic Bees: Bidirectional Design and Behavioral Insights” – Talk, January 2023, Ulster County Beekeepers’ Association Meeting
  • “Insect-like Flying Robots” – Talk, March 2021, American Physical Society March Meeting
  • "Microrobotics: Millimeter-Scale Mechanisms and Devices" - Talk, March 2020, UMass Lowell Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept., Lowell, MA, USA
  • "Untethered Flight of the RoboBee" - Talk, September 2019, Cooper Perkins "Nerd Brunch", Lexington, MA, USA
  • "Insect-Scale Mechanisms: From Flying Robots to Piezoelectric Fans" - Talk, November 2018, MIT Robotics Seminar Series, Cambridge, MA, USA
  • "Insect-scale Flying Robots and Piezoelectric Actuators: System Optimization, Scaling Rules, and the Exploitation of Nonlinearities" - Talk, April 2017, MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, Cambridge, MA, USA
  • "Insect-scale Flying Robots and Piezoelectric Actuators: System Optimization, Scaling Rules, and the Exploitation of Nonlinearities" - Talk, October 2016, MIT Lincoln Laboratory - Chemical, Microsystem, and Nanoscale Technologies Group, Lexington, MA, USA
  • "Non-linear Resonance Modeling and System Design Improvements for Underactuated Flapping-wing Vehicles" - Talk & Interactive Session, May 2016, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Stockholm, Sweden
  • "Robotic Bees: Operation Overview and Autonomy-Enabling Technologies" - Talk, November 2013, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) Colloquium Series, Princeton, NJ, USA
  • "Bulk Piezoelectric Material Processing, Testing & Meso-scale Actuator Development," (with Michael J. Smith, Harvard Microrobotics Lab Manager) - Poster, April 2013, PiezoMEMS Workshop 2013, Washington, DC, USA
  • "Power Analysis and Fundamental and Experimental Conditions for Piezoelectrically-Deformed Plastic Substrates for "Flying Carpet" Propulsion" - Poster, April 2012, Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA
  • "3D Integrated Circuits - Equality of Dimensions" - Talk, January 2012, Rowland Junior Fellows Program, The Rowland Institute at Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
  • "Traveling Wave Induced Aerodynamic Propulsive Force using Active Control of the Dynamic Shape of Piezoelectrically Deformed Plastic Substrates" - Poster, September 2011, European Congress and Exhibition on Advanced Materials and Processes (EUROMAT), Montpellier, France
  • "Traveling Wave-Induced Aerodynamic Propulsive Force using Active Control of the Dynamic Shape of Piezoelectrically-Deformed Plastic Substrates" - Talk, August 2011, International Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics (ISIF), Cambridge University, England
  • "Traveling Wave-Induced Aerodynamic Propulsive Force using Active Control of the Dynamic Shape of Piezoelectrically-Deformed Plastic Substrates" - Talk, December 2010, Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, USA
  • "Active Control of the Dynamic Shape of Deformable Plastic Substrates" - Poster, February 2010, Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference (FlexTech), Phoenix, AZ, USA
  • "Printing Silicon from Nanoparticle Suspensions" - Talk, June 2009, Electronic Materials Conference (EMC), Penn State, University Park, PA, USA
  • "Printing Silicon from Nanoparticle Suspensions" - Poster, February 2009, Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference (FlexTech), Phoenix, AZ, USA