Biography
Current robots are primarily rigid machines that exist in highly constrained or open environments such as factory floors, warehouses, or fields. There is an increasing demand for more adaptable, mobile, and flexible robots that can manipulate or move through complex environments. This problem is currently being addressed in two complementary ways: (i) learning and control algorithms to enable the robot to better sense and adapt to the surrounding environment and (ii) embedded intelligence in mechanical structures. My vision is to create robots that can mechanically conform to the environment or objects that they interact with to alleviate the need for high-speed, high-accuracy, and high-precision controllers. I pursue this goal by developing compliant mechanisms for manipulators and robots, teaching classes focusing on bio-inspiration and unconventional robotics, and engaging with the community to increase interest in science and engineering.
Areas of Expertise
Media Appearances
Unleashed, Robo-Insect Takes Flight
The New York Times
2019-06-26
Further advances in engineering could make microrobots even more autonomous, said F. Zeynep Temel, who works on ant-sized jumping robots at Carnegie Mellon University.
Media
Social
Education
Sabanci University
Ph.D.
Mechatronics
Universität Siegan
M.S.
Mechatronics
Istanbul Technical University
B.S.
Mechanical Engineering
Articles
Enhancing Reconfigurable Robot Swarm Locomotion Through Simple 1-DOF Arm
Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems: 17th International SymposiumJames Clinton, Sha Yi, Zeynep Temel
2025-11-01
Reconfigurable robot swarms exhibit the ability to perform collaborative tasks, change morphologies, and traverse challenging terrains beyond the capability of a single robot. On mobile robot platforms, it is challenging to incorporate both individual mobility, and coupling and reconfiguration capabilities. In this paper, we present two mecha-nisms to enable obstacle ascent and descent behaviors to enhance the locomotion capabilities of reconfigurable swarm robots, based on the PuzzleBot swarm.
Physical Coupling for Collaboration in Heterogeneous Robot Teams
IEEE Robotics and Automation LettersShashwat Singh, Jack Ferlazzo, Sicheng Wang, Sidney Nimako Boateng, Melisa Orta Martinez, Laura H Blumenschein, Zeynep Temel
2026-01-19
Soft robots excel in adaptability, and rigid robots in precise, forceful actuation, yet each faces limitations that reduce performance in cluttered or constrained settings. We address these gaps by enabling physical coupling between a soft Vine robot and centimeter-scale RESCUE roller robots, allowing heterogeneous teams to work cooperatively to leverage each other's strengths.
