Awarded in 2011
Home Department: Computer Science
Faculty Advisors: Oussama Khatib (Computer Science) and Kwabena Boahen (Bioengineering)

Research Title: Elucidating how the brain coordinates the musculoskelal system

Research Description: Understanding how the brain coordinates the same muscles to simultaneously execute multiple motor tasks, like holding a cup with a hand and flipping a switch with the same arm’s elbow, is a fundamental issue facing motor control research. Samir is combining robotic control theory and biomechanics to predict musculoskeletal coordination strategies for individuals and is using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to determine how the brain's motor regions could implement them. His work promises to help diagnose motor disorders before physical deficits appear, develop therapies that simultaneously target multiple brain regions and circuits, and improve our ability to decode the brain’s motor activity.

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Samir is the founder and CEO of Dexterity, Inc., a start-up focused on building an AI platform for robots to gain human-like skills.